Meet Asser Malik, the man Malala married
Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, who was shot by the Taliban for campaigning for girls' education, got married on Tuesday in a small ceremony in Birmingham, central England, she announced on social media.
"Today marks a precious day in my life. Asser (Malik) and I tied the knot to be partners for life," she wrote on Twitter, where she also posted images of herself and her new husband on their wedding day. "We celebrated a small nikkah ceremony at home in Birmingham with our families. Please send us your prayers. We are excited to walk together for the journey ahead," she added.
Several prominent public figures from around the world including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Chelsea Clinton, Priyanka Chopra, Katrina Kaif and Reese Witherspoon, as well as YouTuber Lilly Singh, congratulated the Nobel laureate on both Twitter and Instagram. Several Pakistani public figures including Meesha Shafi, Mira Sethi, Zara Noor Abbas, Muneeba Mazari, Aima Baig, Shehzad Roy among several others also sent the duo their heartfelt congratulations.
But the question remains, who is the lucky champ Malala decided to settle down with?
Who is Asser Malik?
According to Asser’s Twitter and LinkedIn profiles, he is a General Manager High Performance at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Graduated in economics and political science from the Lahore University of Management Sciences, Asser hails from Lahore, as per his location listed on the platform.
Described as an entrepreneur with a demonstrated history of working in the sports industry, the General Manager joined his current organisation in May 2020.
Asser reportedly brought the world’s largest amateur cricket league in Pakistan and is now the LMS co-founder. He has also worked with numerous brands. On the micro-blogging site, Asser describes himself as a fan of Newcastle United Football Club and often shares sports content on his handle.
And albeit, incomparable to his wife’s social media following of more than two million users, Asser enjoys over 7,000 and growing followers on Instagram as we type.
How long has Malala known him?
Actor Adnan Malik, in his post congratulating Malala and Asser, shared “This makes my heart smile Malala. You deserve the very best and in Asser Malik, you’ve found one of the kindest, good natured and most hilarious people I know in a partner, love and blessings.”
But the connection between Adnan and Asser is as unclear as the connection between Malala and him. We’re still not sure for how long the global sensation and the young champ have known each other but they’ve been quite private about their relationship on Instagram.
However, with a post from June 23, 2019 shared by Asser on his Instagram, one can guess that they’ve been in touch since more than a year now. The photo sees Asser and Malala posing for a group photo with former Pakistani cricketer Waqar Younis at the Lord’s Cricket Ground.
A follow-up post from June 26, 2019 also sees actor Adnan Malik in the picture.
In May this year, Asser had shared Malala’s video urging the world leaders to “act immediately to protect the human rights of Palestinians.” He wrote, “Proud of you,” alongside the clip.
Following this, in July, Asser tweeted a photo with Malala, wishing her a ‘Happy Birthday’. The photo saw a standee of Shah Rukh Khan as well; we’re guessing Malala’s a fan. Asser tweeted, “Happy Birthday to the most amazing Malala. SRK had to make a necessary cameo of course.”
The nuptial
Nevertheless, earlier this year, Malala’s father Ziauddin Yousafzai had said Malala would choose her own partner, and so it she has.
The wedding photographs see her donning a plain pink ensemble with minimal golden embellishments around the neckline and borders of her kameez and dupatta. While Asser looks dapper in a three-piece black pant suit with a plain white button-down and a pink tie to go with, complimenting his bride’s outfit.
In the social media caption, the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner in history credited her bridal makeup artist Anna, who goes by the Instagram handle @makeupbyain. Malala also tagged photographer and visual journalist Malin Fezehai, who captured the duo’s big day with utter grace.
As per the Daily Mail, Malin described Malala’s wedding as an intimate gathering of family and friends.