Shoaib, Sania meet Pakistan President Zardari

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik and his wife, Indian tennis star Sania Mirza, called on President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday and discussed their efforts to raise funds for the relief and rehabilitation of flood victims in the country.

Expressing grief at the devastation caused by floods in southern Pakistan, the couple said they would launch a fund-raising campaign within and outside the country to help the victims, an official statement said.

Malik and Mirza said they would play exhibition matches in Pakistan and outside the country to generate funds for flood victims.

Zardari thanked them and expressed appreciation for their support for the flood victims.

Zardari appreciated Malik's cricketing skills and said sportspersons were ambassadors for their country.

Sportspersons earn a name for their country through their excellence in sports and contribute to the real potential and image of their country, he said.

Zardari also congratulated the couple on their marriage. Mirza, who recently suffered a knee injury, is on holiday while Malik is playing in Pakistan's National Twenty20 Championship.

The cricketer has said he hopes his marriage with Mirza will help in improving relations between Pakistan and India.

Malik further said he hoped that bilateral cricket ties with India would resume soon. Over the past few days, the couple visited Malik's hometown of Sialkot and travelled to Lahore on a private visit.

Mirza will be in Karachi for the Twenty20 Championship, in which Malik is captaining the Sialkot Stallions.

"I am here to play cricket and my wife is with me on a holiday, but obviously her presence is good for me and I hope to do well in the national tournament," Malik said.