Sania Mirza Took 'Khula' from Shoaib Malik. What It Means

After Indian Tennis star Sania Mirza's husband Shoaib Malik tied knot with popular Pakistani actress Sana Javed on Saturday January 20, Sania Mirza's father confirmed that the couple is divorced. Sania Mirza's father Imran Mirza said that Sania had separated from Shoaib through the process of “khula”. 

“It was a khula” said Sania Mirza’s father regarding her marital status with Malik. Khula refers to the right of a Muslim woman to unilaterally divorce her husband, as per the Sharia law. 

Pakistan's former cricket captain Shoaib Malik was previously married to Indian tennis star, Sania, with whom he has a son Izaan. Shoaib and Sania had got married in Hyderabad in the Indian player's hometown Hyderabad in April 2010 and they use to live in Dubai. Their five-year-old son Izaan currently lives with Sania. 

Sania Mirza, one of India's greatest tennis players has announced her retirement last year. In a career spanning 20 years, where she won 43 WTA doubles titles and one singles trophy, Sania was seen as a trailblazer for women in sport. 

Sania's cryptic post on social media 

There have been strong rumours since 2022 about differences between Shoaib and Sania leading to a split, and they have rarely been seen together in the last couple of years. Just a few days back Malik also unfollowed the Indian star on Instagram.

Just two days back Sania had shared a cryptic post on her Instagram stories, an excerpt from which reads, “Divorce is hard.” 

Who is Sana Javed? 

Sana Javed who has starred in a number of hit drama serial and also acted in Pakistani films had married singer Umair Jaiswal in 2020 at a simple ceremony amid the coronavirus pandemic. But, two months earlier, reports about their divorce emerged.