Shoaib summoned for 'selling' invite

A Pakistani court on Monday summoned cricketer Shoaib Malik to appear before it on May 3 in connection with a petition that alleged he had "sold" invitation cards for a reception to celebrate his wedding to Indian tennis star Sania Mirza.

The additional sessions judge Malik Rafiq of the court in Lahore admitted the petition filed by a man named Safdar Ali, who alleged the cricketer was selling invitation cards for his 'walima' (reception) on April 27 for Rs 15,000 (about $200) each.

The judge listed the matter for hearing on May 3 and directed Shoaib to appear before him on that date. Ali, who described himself as a fan of Shoaib, said he had taken leave from work on April 27 to witness the walima.

"But then I found out that Shoaib is selling invitation cards for the event for Rs 15,000. He has hurt thousands of fans with his actions. He had made his wedding a business," Ali alleged. In a separate development, a man named Hasan Sheraz filed another petition in the Lahore High Court in which he alleged that Shoaib had violated a ban on serving more than one dish at marriage functions and the government’s order for such events to be concluded by 10 pm.

Sheraz further alleged that a ban on using decorative lights at wedding functions had also been violated during a reception hosted for Shoaib and Sania in the cricketer’s hometown of Sialkot last night.

"Cricketer Shaoib Malik has committed both violations. The reception in honour of the couple at Sialkot hockey stadium continued till midnight and decorative lights were used in abundance," Sheraz contended.

He asked the court to penalise Shoaib for flouting the government's orders. The government of Punjab province last year imposed a bar on serving more than one dish at wedding functions as part of a series of austerity measures. The federal government recently imposed strict restrictions of the use of electricity as the country is grappling with a crippling energy shortage.