ISLAMABAD: That Bal Thackeray loathes anything Muslim is known to all, but now the prophet of communal hatred is peeved at even a Muslim marrying another, an Indian to a Pakistani to be precise. Case in point: Sania Mirza’s planned wedding with Shoaib Malik.

“Had Sania’s Mirza’s heart been Indian, it wouldn’t have beaten for a Pakistani. Henceforth, Sania will not remain an Indian. If she wished to play for India, she should have chosen an Indian life partner,” 84-year-old Thackeray said in an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana.

“More than victories on tennis court, Sania became famous for her tight clothes, fashion and love affairs,” Thackeray writes. “More than her play, people’s attention was on her mannerisms,” he claimed.

The Shiv Sena supremo alleged that “for Shoaib, India is an enemy, not only in sports arena but also in the battlefield. “We have heard that Shoaib has had many affairs in India and has promised many girls he will marry them,” he said.

Thackeray also expressed surprise over the alacrity with which Sania’s family members were granted Pakistani visas. “Getting a Pakistani visa is tough even for a singer like Lata Mangeshkar,” he said.