Pakistan

‘But I wanted to see Sania!’

Khurrum Anis April 22, 2010

KARACHI: “I Nawabshah. And I here for Sania. And big Shoaib also. I Sania big fan. Not fan of room, but fan of choice. They not here, so I sad but I big pray for them so they happy,” said Gul Hasan without mincing his words. He was at the Jinnah International Airport to see off a friend and as challenging as it was for others to make sense of what he was saying, he was sure of one thing.

Hasan wanted a photograph with the new Mr and Mrs Malik aka Shoaib Malik and Sania Mirza. But the new symbol of Pakistan-India friendship jetted off to Islamabad for dinner with the prime minister without saying hello to their fans at the Karachi airport while they were in transit. The commotion at the entrance gates of Jinnah Terminal was fit for a cricket match.

The media crush pushed and shoved with its flashing cameras and zooming lenses. To add to the chaos was an equal number of enthusiasts who tried to leapfrog over the cameramen in a bid to catch a glimpse of the star couple. One excited man tried to put his son on the shoulders of a cameraman. “No!” screamed the journalist. “You cannot put your child on my head. I am working.” “It’s not such a big deal,” retorted the parent. “All he’ll do is stand on your shoulders.

You media people are all hypocrites. All you care about is that couple and not the feelings of your people.” For nearly four hours, from 2 pm, fans and the media cooked in the sun as threats poured in from producers and news editors for them to get everything on camera. “How am I supposed to catch them on reel if they haven’t come,” complained one of them.”Can you believe this? My producer has just suspended me for a week. He’s saying that since I was at the site, it should have been my duty to ensure that Sania and Shoaib came out and allowed me to take shots.”

A gaggle of well-heeled and heavy-hipped women from the little known Pasban group showed up to “well come” the couple and especially Pakistan’s new “bhabhi”. “We love her and wish her the best of luck,” said one of them. Suddenly, however, the excitement deflated as one of the public televisions at the airport showed that the Maliks had made it to the domestic departure lounge. They were not going to come out. For the fans and media, it was a complete “miss”.

COMMENTS (9)

Dr Muhammad RAFIQ | 13 years ago | Reply I really dont know, why our media is so crazy for the newly wed couple that is not so important even after the views by Sania and Shoaib as well. Why the media is gona forget the real issu , if u have seen Tv last day , there was no any news except this couple. Why our PM, President is gona spend lot of money to welcome this couple just for political point scoring. Why they dont have an idea for the poor nation. Even they did nt visit Peshawar after couple of blast and many lives have gone. They should feel shame and come to see the real issues and problem of nation Shoaib is nt so important for Pakistan ,why our nt gona undestand , he is banned for one year ,,, why ,,, offcourse , he ll be involved in a sort of corruptions. Why, PM, President, etc dont have any interest for Dr Afia, come on yar ,undersatnd and do which other nations cant do

Hassan | 13 years ago | Reply That is so funny, Breaking news "No Comment". Imagine BBC, CNN breaking a news like this. Dig out any event from the history where media ( western specifically ) covered the marital event of any of their players ( soccer, cericket and any sport) on this scale. You won't find a single one. You are very true Dr. Hoseni its all sensationalism, gossip and an easy way to keep you being aware of the real issues.

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Hassan | 13 years ago | Reply @Omar : I agree to the three components you mentioned regarding the media. But be neutral and ask yourself, isn't this thing over rated ? If you want to entertain, go ahead show it for a couple of hours, there is no harm in it, but every single channel is overwhelmed with it. Did any channel reported that a couple of children died in the IDP refugee camp out of hunger ? I am sure answer is no, no one would show the news because it does not contain all the *masala we are used to.

Dr Salim Hosein | 13 years ago | Reply I completely agree with Hassan; their personal life is their own business, the coverage has been pushed to the limit and for people like Pseudo the First, we shouldn't go about judging other couples and whether their compatible or not...it's just none of our business! First off, the media. I still recall a headline "Breaking News! Shoaib Malik says: NO COMMENT." How is that breaking news??!! Sensationalism must have it's limits lest it fall into the realm of the ridiculous... And ridiculous brings me onto the next point, the Government. After all the media hype, we couldn't help resist the urge to one-up the Indians. Where they investigated Malik and took his passport, lets wine and dine them instead and make them official state guests. Hooray, take that India! Our government is retarded and quite frankly we are too for letting them do this! End of the day, Shoaib Malik's an ex-captain, on a one-year ban, completely out of national cricket, and Sania's (as awesome as I think she is) a foreign national, plays for her country, and is currently, and will probably continue to be, on a visa. What qualifies these two for "dinner with the PM" and a stay as state guests? Please remember this isn't a grand gesture out of the goodness of Gilani's heart...it's one out of our pockets as tax payers! When's the last time you went and chilled at the PM's house for bed and breakfast?

Omar Qadir | 13 years ago | Reply Undoubtedly, I must say, I agree with Mr. Hassan on the speculation and hype created by media over such event. However I would like to add a little note that, media is to inform, educate and entertain. Therefore this event and it's whole coverage, to me, will be nothing but a little entertainment for the sad public of Pakistan. Yes, I would say media has overdone it, but lets try to look at the bright side of the picture. As far as the couple is concerned, I pray for the well being of this relationship and hope it will bring two nations to friendship.

 Thank You!

ratee | 13 years ago | Reply Some people can only see or say negatives in life. Its better to keep quiet and not open your mouth when it can just spits venom.

Hassan | 13 years ago | Reply @ Pseudonym the first : Don't worry too much about them, their compatibility is solely their own personal interest and both of them are mature enough to deal with it. Secondly, its ironic that how media is over rating this whole event. Why a common people is being dragged into this event ? Every Pakistani news channel, 24/7, is involved highlighting their marriage, as "breaking news", which means nothing to a common man. Don't they have anything else to show ? Sorry to say but Pakistani media is pathetic to its limits.

Pseudonym the First | 13 years ago | Reply There are two things that I'm still wondering about with regard to this particular story. Firstly, how do the two individuals seem to think they're compatible for each other? One of them is a Pakistani from Sialkot who is renowned for his abilities to fight with his teammates in addition to his undoubted, natural talent and his abilities to marry women on the phone, flatly deny doing so only to accept and plead guilty of being fooled, while the other is an Indian from Hyderabad who comes from a well-respected Indian family, but still has a history of breaking engagements to close friends. Where did the two meet anyway? Is there something to this story all of us aren't aware of? Also, will the entire saga come to a cruel end with a "he-said/she-said" struggle and a lucrative divorce? There are still lots of unanswered questions in my mind, but what is for sure is that the coming days, weeks and months will be like the rapidly unfolding plot of a Bollywood movie.

Nadir El Edroos | 13 years ago | Reply Good one: Can you believe this? My producer has just suspended me for a week. He’s saying that since I was at the site, it should have been my duty to ensure that Sania and Shoaib came out and allowed me to take shots.”

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