Meet Asser Malik, the man who got married to Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai

London/Karachi: The marriage of Nobel Laureate and Pakistani activist for girls' education Malala Yousafzai has become the talking point ever since the 24-year-old shared pictures of her wedding - a private affair at her Brirmingham, UK home - on social media. 

Announcing her marriage on Twitter and also Instagram, the 24-year-old posted a few pictures of the ceremony along with her husband Asser Malik and family members. Decked up in a tea pink suit and simple jewellery, Yousafzai is seen carrying out the wedding formalities in her home in Birmingham with Malik, where he has gone on vacation.

So who is Asser Malik?

Malala tied the knot with a top-ranked officer of the Pakistan Cricket Board in a small ceremony in the UK. According to his LinkedIn profile, Malik joined the organisation in May 2020. and his Instagram account has many photos from various cricketing events.

"Designed player development program for Multan Sultans. Currently serving as General Manager High Performance at the Pakistan Cricket Board," says Malik's Linkedin profile. Multan Sultans is a Pakistani professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team.

The couple first met two years back and since then have been in touch and formed a close friendship and later decided to get married with the consent of their families.

According to a source in the PCB, Malik is a top performing officer in the cricket board. He joined PCB's High Performance Centre in Lahore nearly two years back as manager. "But due to his hardwork and output he has now been promoted to the post of general manager," the source said.

Malala's past comments on marriage

Yousafzai's recent comments on marriage to an international fashion magazine had stirred controversy. In an interview to Vogue magazine in June, Yousafzai, an Oxford graduate, revealed that she is not sure if she will ever marry. "I still don't understand why people have to get married. If you want to have a person in your life, why do you have to sign marriage papers, why can't it just be a partnership?" she had said.

When she was 15, she was shot in the head by a member of the Taliban in October 2012 and was flown to the UK to receive treatment. In 2014, she won the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 17, becoming the youngest laureate of the prize. She shared the prize with child rights activist Kailash Satyarthi. Last year, she graduated from Oxford University with a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics.

(with PTI inputs)