Kuala Lumpur: After eight years of courtship, India Hockey Captain Manpreet Singh Pawar tied the knot with his Malaysian girlfriend Illi Najwa Saddique on 17 December. The couple got engaged in February 2014 and have been going strong with each other for the past eight years.
However, the inter-faith couple seems to have got stuck in their first challenge as man and wife. Religious Affairs minister Ahmad Marzuk Shaary has asked Illi, a Malaysia Muslim to come forward and explain her and her husband’s religious status.
While Illi is Muslim, it is believed her husband is a Sikh who wears a turban. Now, some reports are claiming that Manpreet has converted to Islam in order to marry Illi.
However, as seen in the pictures being widely circulated on social media, the couple have tied knot in a pure Sikh wedding ceremony.
Now, the ministry has taken a suo moto cognizence of the matter and asked Illi to explain the status of her and husband’s region.
Illi is currently staying with her husband Manpreet in India.
In a statement, Illi revealed that it was love at first sight and she could not stop herself from saying yes when he proposed to her. After they met during Sultan of Johor Cup in 2012, where Illi was among the fans.
The couple got married on 17 December, in beautiful Punjabi wedding attire, amid friends and family.