The tennis star Sania is in a dilemma, will she take her son Izaan to Pakistan? What does the law say…Pakistan cricketer makes a bet for the tennis star! Will Sania go to Pakistan?
What does the law say…Pakistan cricketer makes a bet for the tennis star! Will Sania go to Pakistan?
The marriage of Indian tennis star Sania Mirza and Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik made headlines at the time. Their love story, which began in 2010, became a hot topic in both India and Pakistan. But, when their son Izhaan Mirza Malik was born in 2018, a new question arose in everyone’s mind: What nationality will Izhaan be? Is he Indian, Pakistani or something else? This question became even more complicated after Sania and Shoaib divorced in 2024.
Sania Mirza, who has made India proud on the tennis court, married Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik on 12 April 2010 in a traditional Muslim ceremony in Hyderabad. The marriage was a source of controversy in both the countries. Sania was asked if she was “more Pakistani” than not. Especially when she was made the brand ambassador of Telangana. However, Sania has always been proud of her Indianness and has never renounced her Indian citizenship. Shoaib, who is a Pakistani national, and Sania maintained a close relationship, but they divorced in 2024, which later led to a debate over Izaan’s citizenship.
Izaan Mirza Malik was born on 30 October 2018 at Rainbow Hospital in Hyderabad. Sania had earlier announced that her baby’s surname would not just be “Malik” but “Mirza-Malik”. Since the time of Izaan’s birth, questions about her citizenship had been raised. People in both India and Pakistan wanted to know whether Izaan would be Indian or Pakistani.
According to the Indian Citizenship Act, anyone born in India after July 1, 1987 is considered an Indian citizen. If at least one of his parents is an Indian citizen. Since Sania is an Indian citizen and Izaan was born in India, he is technically entitled to Indian citizenship. Also, if a child is born outside India but one of his parents is an Indian citizen, then the child can get citizenship if he registers with the Indian embassy within a year.
According to Pakistani law, an Indian citizen cannot be granted Pakistani citizenship. Pakistan has dual citizenship agreements with 19 countries. However, India is not included in that list. Due to this, it is impossible for Izhan to get Pakistani citizenship. Because her mother Sania is Indian. In 2018, Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency clarified that Izhan will not be granted Pakistani citizenship.
In a press conference in 2018, Shoaib Malik had said, “Citizenship is not important. Our child will be neither Indian nor Pakistani.” This statement surprised everyone. He hinted that Izhaan could be given citizenship of a third country. Sania and Shoaib were living in Dubai at the time and according to reports, Izhaan has a Dubai Golden Visa. This visa allows her to stay in Dubai for a long time. But it is not a permanent citizenship. Some reports claim that Sania and Shoaib may be planning to give Izhaan permanent citizenship of the UAE or some other country.
In 2024, Shoaib Malik married Pakistani actress Sana Javed, and Sania’s family confirmed that Sania and Shoaib had divorced a few months ago. This sparked a heated debate on social media over Izaan’s citizenship. Some claimed that granting Indian citizenship to a child of a “Pakistani father” could be “dangerous”. At the time, Sania’s supporters called it an invasion of her privacy, saying that Sania had always made India proud and that Izaan should be considered Indian based on her mother’s citizenship.
Izhaan Mirza is currently living in Dubai with his mother Sania Mirza and has a golden visa. It is not clear whether Sania has applied for Indian citizenship for Izhaan. According to Indian law, Izhaan is eligible for Indian citizenship, but Sania and Shoaib’s past statements suggest that they wanted to give him a third-country citizenship. Some experts believe that Sania, who currently lives permanently in Dubai, may opt for UAE or some other citizenship for her son, thereby avoiding the Indo-Pakistani citizenship dispute.