Family Corner
Father : Retd Major Mohd Ali Malik
Mother : Zeenat Malik
Eldest Sister is a lecturer at the A Q Khan College, Islamabad. She has a Masters degree in Medicine and English . She is also a known poet in the literary circles. Resides in Islamabad with her husband, an army major and their three sons.
Second Sister is a housewife. She has a Masters degree in English. She is married to a businessman. She resides in Lahore with her husband and their three sons.
Her Brother practices Criminal Law at the Rawalpindi Bar. He resides in Islamabad.
Fourth Sister is pursuing BBA from F G College, Rawalpindi.
Fifth Sister was killed in a freak road accident while she was 10. Veena is still disturbed about this incident as she was a witness to it.
Sixth Sister is in 10th standard at the Beacon House School.
Veena’s Relationship with her siblings
Today, Veena is the closest to both her elder sisters and feels free to discuss everything from work to personal matters with them. She says they come immediately after her mother among the closest people of her life. She shares an extremely amicable relation with her only brother. Both her younger sisters look up to Veena owing to her success and nature and have in the past sought her advice on many issues and Veena really enjoys and respects the confidence that they have placed in her.
Sponsored Children
Veena considers the children that she has sponsored to be as much a part of her family as her own blood relatives. Zain and Zafar are boys aged 10 and 7 respectively that she has sponsored from the SOS villages in Pakistan and in India she has sponsored the childhood and education of Payal, a girl child aged 7 from an NGO, Sahaara India.
Pets
Veena is deeply attached to her dogs (poodles and terriers) Timmy, Tommy, Katie and Cutie
Childhood
Veena Malik was born into a family of six sisters and a brother. Her father was a major in the Pakistani army. Her mother was a home maker. One of Veena’s earliest childhood memories which were later recounted to her by her mother was, when she was an infant of about three months old, being the third daughter of the household she was being doted on by both her parents and this led to a childish jealousy in both her elder sisters. One day as Veena was sleeping in the cradle, her eldest sister in a moment of whim scratched Veena’s body violently. Veena started wailing loudly unable to bear the pain and hearing this her mother came rushing out to see Veena in a bloody mess. Looking at her state her mother almost thought that Veena might not survive this violent attack but in a couple of days Veena was fine and healthy. But this incident led to her being shifted with her grandmother and grandfather at Mianwali, Punjab at the behest of her grandmother.
Life with Grandparents
From the tender age of three month Veena started living with her grandmother and grandfather. Her grandfather was a highly respected landlord of the Punjab province (Pakistan). He owned a palatial house and Veena was being brought up with all the freedom and luxuries that a child could ask for. Her only regret from these times is that she was away from her parents and even when they visited her, the meetings were very brief and matter of fact. Owing to this she considers her grandmother to almost be her mother. Apart from very good education, Veena also learnt the arts of cooking, knitting and sewing under the watchful eye of her grandmother. Even her grandfather respected and understood Veena’s need for freedom and allowed her a free hand to do the things that she really had her heart in. the first major tragedy of Veena’s life hit when her grandmother passed away when Veena was in the 7th standard of her schooling.
Childhood with Parents
After the demise of her grandmother, Veena moved back with her parents. The initial days were very difficult for Veena as she naturally had a lot of adjustment problems with the new setup. Also her relation with her sisters and brother was a strain at this point as they could not adapt to the new inclusion in the family. The house was full of rules, regulations and discipline. This stifled the free spirit of Veena. She lived at the house of her parents for two years, from 7th standard to 9th standard after which she moved into the hostel of her school.
She recollects that in 2001, one of her younger sisters, Rabia, was killed in a tragic road accident and this has left a deep dent in the mind of Veena.
