Image for Pak fans leave Sania

Islamabad, April 23: Indian tennis star Sania Mirza got the first taste of the love that fans in her husband Shoaib Malik’s country had to offer as she pushed through a crowd of enthusiasts to her Lahore hotel — weeping and murmuring — with everyone trying to touch her.

“At one point Sania Mirza almost fell down due to the rush of fans. She was seemingly weeping when she entered the hotel and was naturally very down. Her mother was consoling her. Sania Mirza was murmuring something,” a security official told this newspaper.
“There were hundreds of fans who wanted to get a glimpse of Sania and everybody was fighting to touch her. The security men and Shoaib Malik struggled to save her from the unruly crowd,” he added.
He said, “Shoaib Malik was also perturbed and was putting his arms around Sania as she walked amid the crowd of fans and security officials. Sania was looking very angry with tears in her eyes.”
Another official said Shoaib was shouting for help as they pushed through the crowd of fans to the hotel doors.
In Islamabad, Shoaib’s Indian visa was extended by a year. The visa includes permission to visit cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

Shafqat Ali