Indian tennis sensation Sania Mirza, who married Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik last year, has been included in a list of “100 women who shake Pakistan”.
Ms. Mirza, who chose to live in Dubai after her high-profile and controversial marriage to Mr. Malik, finds a mention in the list alongside the former federal Minister, Sherry Rehman; women's rights champion Mukhtaran Mai; and Um-e Hassan, the wife of a hardline Lal Masjid cleric.
The list, compiled by Newsweek Pakistan magazine, describes Ms. Mirza as a “tennis pro [who] has been welcomed by Pakistanis as their own”.
Many Pakistanis have expressed surprise at Ms. Mirza being included in the list.
“How did Sania Mirza make it to that list. Last I saw her she was winning games for India. Don't mean to be harsh or anything but isn't this thread about proud Pakistani women?” wrote a reader on the defence.pk website.
A “Karachi feminist” pooh-poohed the list, saying “it fits the paradigm of how westerners write about Pakistan.
“If it's not going to be the terror militant suicide angle, then it should be about defiance, spirit, resilience — their art, their bold and talented women, their unique industries,” the author posted on her blog.
