Hi!
This is MUNEER SHEIKH. I am writing from Islamabad, Pakistan. I read your letter to General Parvez Musharraf which appeared on my computer screen while I was searching the net. I am brother-in-law of Raja Ehsan Aziz which you mentioned in your letter. I am an Electrical Engineer, a US citizen who has been working in Pakistan for 3 years. Previously, I have lived in Branford, Connecticut (near New Haven) for 16 years. I have worked with various Electrical Utilities for about 20 years, taught under-graduate courses in colleges and universities and have two master's degrees ( EE and Computer Science). I have held good positions during my work in the US. The unfortunate story that you mentioned in your letter, I happened to know a little about as I was studying in New York at that time (1981-1982). Then, we moved to Connecticut because I started working there. Our contact with Mr. Raja Ehsan Aziz became quite minimal as they had moved to Pakistan. Whenever we visited Pakistan and met with them, the time was limited and this subject was never discussed. I really did not know what had happened in the meantime. I was disappointed to hear all what happened and what you had to go through.
I am married to Raja Ehsan Aziz's younger sister. She is a Medical Doctor from Pakistan. However, during our stay in New Haven area, she did two master's degrees from Yale University with honors. By nature, she is a duplicate copy of Raja Ehsan Aziz and she has made my life absolutely hell and miserable for the past 20+ years. Extremely bright but very temperamental, unstable, stubborn, proud and bigoted, and habitually a very difficult person to live or deal with. She always (without any exception) wants to have her own way. She has to win even if it is about a very simple thing or matter. Essentially, a spoiled brat. She does not understand the word "compromise". Vengeance, Stupid Pride, Perfectionist, Idealist, Extremist, Selfish, Extremely controlling, scheming and manipulative, wanting total power in her career, always looking for self admiration, recognition and being the center of attention. Her ideas about world are quite similar to Raja Ehsan Aziz. though she is an-Jamat-Islami member (turned away from religious fanaticism) turned into liberal western feminist. She really believes in "men" being a lower class of creatures think her ideas are absurd and bizarre and I do doubt her insanity. She is extremely abusive towards me, verbally and physically at times as well. She has made me absolutely penniless by his extravagant shopping sprees and created her own property in Islamabad through her own earnings and money received from. There is no stopping her. Her treatment towards her own children is awful. She says that she has disowned them and does not want to look after them any more. She has a minimal relationship with them at this point. Even with her presence, I am raising the children myself, in every possible way. For the past three years, she has chosen not to work and stayed home idle and involved herself in superfluous activities. We have serious economic issues which she pays a deaf ear to since according to her "It is husband" responsibility. I don't know what to do? Her family (brothers and sisters) either don't want to interfere or side her which makes thing even worse. Raja Ehsan Aziz's wife is the closest "Confidant" and "Advisor" to her.
Can you suggest me any solution? Anyone that I can speak to to solve these problems that I am facing .I will really appreciate it very much. Thanks. Best of Luck. Sincerely,
MUNEER SHEIKH
Dear Muneer Sheikh,
I am most happy to receive your very important (for me) letter.
I really do not know how to advise you with your personal problem, which is essentially that you have children and a wife who is not willing to help, except to say that you can always move back to America where the economy is booming and jobs are plentiful. It appears that your wife might not follow you.
However, you seem to be in an ideal situation to help me with my problem.
My problem is that my daughter, Shamema, has not seen her mother Honzagool in 19 years since 1982. I would like for them to meet each other, but there are many complicating factors, one of which is that we do not know where Honzagool is.
It is clear that since 1983 her whereabouts have been kept top secret, not only from me but even from her relatives. Only a few weeks ago, I received an e-mail from Islamabad stating that Honzagool's brother was asked where Honzagool is and the brother said that he does not know her address.
We have been told that Honzagool is in Islamabad, but at various times I have sent friends to check out her supposed addresses and they have reported back that there was no such person at those addresses.
My daughter Shamema, the daughter of Honzagool, is now in the United States Marines working in aircraft maintenance and bombs. Some day, she will try to find her mother. I am not sure that she is ready to undertake this journey yet, which is difficult and dangerous, difficult and dangerous because we know almost for certain that Raja Ehsan Aziz will try to grab her and force her into marriage with somebody or, failing that, may try physically to harm her.
I am happy that my daughter has learned martial arts, combat skills, hand-to-hand combat, jungle warfare and survival skills, because it is possible that she may need those skills someday especially when dealing with Raja Ehsan Aziz.
What we do not know is where Honzagool is and whether she is being held essentially a prisoner or whether she is free to come and go and whether she wants to return to America.
I am not asking you to reveal this information, but I believe that you may be in a position to find out. If you do know where Honzagool is, I am not asking you to tell me. However, I would like to know, if and when my daughter goes to Pakistan to try to meet her mother, would you be able to help guide her in the right direction?
Because of the absence of her mother, my daughter was kidnapped and held for ten years by Christian religious fundamentalists. However, she was able to gain her freedom by joining the US Marines and now I am in daily contact with her.
It is ironic that there have always been Christian religious fundamentalists on one side of this battle while Muslim religious fundamentalists including Raja Ehsan Aziz have been on the other side of this battle, with me and my daughter caught in between.
Ismail Sloan