Media told to pay to cover Sania-Shoaib reception

The Shoaib Malik-Sania Mirza match was a match made in media heaven. And now, the Pakistani cricketer wants his share of the moolah.

The Shoaib Malik-Sania Mirza match was a match made in media heaven. And now, the Pakistani cricketer wants his share of the moolah.

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Shoaib reportedly demanded Rs 3.5 crore for the media rights to his reception in his hometown Sialkot on Sunday. He also asked his guards to keep the media away as none of the channels came up with the amount, Dunya News said. The channel claimed it had obtained an invitation to another reception, this one at a Lahore hotel on April 27, by paying Rs 10,000 to a relative of the cricketer.

At the hotel too, authorities asked journalists to leave the premises. “They took the step on behalf of Shoaib,” journalist Hina Farooq claimed.