Family ancestry slips through time
In a quiet room of a house in an old neighbourhood in Lahore, Muhammad Ashfaq shows his children a black-and-white photograph that he nimbly holds in his hand. The three elderly men visible in the picture are his ancestors, but he knows about only one of them, his grandfather. When his children ask who the other two elders are, Ashfaq has no answer. All he knows is that his family migrated from India to Pakistan in 1947, and chose to settle in Lahore.
Although people in his family associate with the Rajput clan, many have chosen different surnames. Ashfaq’s story is shared by millions of families across Pakistan, where the majority of people do not possess a formal written family tree. Identity is often limited to the grandfather or great-grandfather, while earlier ancestors, their migration patterns, professions, lands, and family ties fade over time. This gap is not only historical but also social and psychological, affecting identity, belonging, and social structure.
When more than two dozen male and female students at the University of Punjab were asked about their great-grandfathers and their clan branches, 80 per cent knew the names of their ancestors up to their great-grandfathers only. Similarly, 40 to 50 per cent knew their clan branch. Compared to urban students, those from rural backgrounds had more information about their family lineage since kinship ties based on shared caste are stronger in rural areas.
In Punjab, even today, caste (zaat), clan (biradari), and family are considered important. Marriage arrangements, social relations, political affiliations, and in some areas even employment opportunities revolve around these identities. Despite this, the documentary basis of these identities is weak. Most family histories have relied on oral tradition, hence whatever elders remembered was passed on to the next generation. Once this chain broke, memory began to scatter.
The Partition of India, mass migration, movement from villages to cities, the breakdown of the joint family system, and economic pressures accelerated this process. As millions of families moved from one place to another, old records were left behind, graves were separated, and land documents were lost. For those settling in new localities, employment, housing, and security were more important and preserving family history failed to register as a priority.
According to Dr Rubina Zakir, Professor of Sociology at the University of Punjab, rural-to-urban migration in Punjab deeply affected family identity. “In villages, identity was rooted in relationships, caste, and clan, but in cities it shifted toward education, profession, and income,” notes Dr Zakir. “As a result, caste or clan often came to feel unnecessary or even burdensome, especially for those who had experienced caste-based discrimination.”
Muhammad Asim Rizwan, Deputy Director of the Lahore Museum, revealed that in rural areas, mirasis (traditional genealogists) used to remember the family trees of different families, and on many occasions these genealogies were recited. The genealogy of his own family was also remembered by local mirasis. “Even though I know the names of my great-grandfather and grandfather, their caste, and branch, my children may not know these details,” shares Rizwan.
At the state level, the scope of family identification is limited. Institutions like NADRA verify citizens’ identities and immediate family relations, but do not include caste, clan, or family branch as part of official identity. NADRA’s data is linked to the issuance of national identity cards and spans only a few decades. Through this record, one can trace a person to their father or grandfather, but going back several generations is not possible.
Apart from NADRA, local government bodies, municipal corporations, and union councils also do not provide comprehensive family history records. Haji Muhammad Iqbal, secretary of a union council, informed that they mostly stored records of births, deaths, and marriages, and digital records had been created only in recent years. “No organised population or family records from before the creation of Pakistan are available,” says Iqbal. “The paper records that existed in the early years after independence were lost over time.”
It is worth noting that land revenue records also cannot be considered a complete source of family identification since property accounts and ownership documents list only those who own land. Therefore, landless families, the labour class, and a large segment of the urban population fall outside this scope. As a result, family history remains confined to gravestone inscriptions, fragile papers, and elders’ memories.
Changing caste or clan can also carry social consequences. In rural setups, these identities provide support in difficult times, offer informal employment networks, and play a role in collective decision-making. When an individual distances themselves from their affiliation, they may also become isolated from this social network. In cities, this can result in loneliness and alienation from one’s roots.
At the psychological level, a crisis of identity is silently surfacing. According to clinical psychologist Fatima Tahir, being unaware of one’s true identity or hiding it can give rise to inner restlessness, anxiety, and self-esteem issues. “Especially among the younger generation, the feeling of being disconnected from one’s roots is growing,” highlights Tahir. “On social media, young people are frequently seen asking: Who are we, and where did we come from?”
Dr Rukhsana Iftikhar, a history professor at the University of Punjab, explained that historically, the caste and clan system had existed in the subcontinent for centuries, but not every family possessed a written genealogy. "Much information was transmitted through tradition,” she explains. “Even during the colonial period, population and land records were compiled mainly for administrative purposes, not to preserve family histories. When migration and urbanisation broke the chain of tradition, the stories of generations were also broken.”
Although uncommon, Dr Iftikhar revealed that some families still kept records tracing their ancestral lineage back several centuries. “In Punjab, some families, especially the Syeds, have preserved genealogies,” he says. “I myself have seen a family tree spanning 30 pages that traces lineage back to Imam Jaafar Sadiq (RA). Similarly, written genealogies of some religious leaders (pirs) are found, though their authenticity cannot be verified.”
In contrast, in India, caste and clan identity in some matters has an official and legal form, with documentary systems for specific social categories. Although this system also causes discrimination and disputes, the concept of family records appears to be relatively stronger. In Pakistan, no such organised system exists, leaving identity largely dependent on personal memory.
Legal expert, Advocate Chaudhry Ishtiaq believes that ignorance of ancestors’ names and family history carried practical disadvantages as well. “In inheritance and land disputes, old kinship links and ownership history are important,” he says. “In marriage matters, lack of accurate information about lineage can create misunderstandings. These issues intensify when the elder generation is no longer alive and the chain of oral tradition ends.”
Conversely, Asif Aqeel, a Lahore-based researcher, felt that rigid caste and clan divisions had instigated many social problems. "In some families, insistence on marriage within the same caste increases the risk of hereditary diseases,” explains Asif, as he still believes that completely ignoring caste was also not a solution. “When cousin marriages continue generation after generation, genetic issues can become more pronounced. Additionally, when matrimony is based on caste considerations, many women face delays in marriage.”
Modern science has opened new paths for exploring lineage and family connections through genetic research. However, experts caution that while these methods can provide valuable biological insights, they cannot fully replace social and cultural identity, which is shaped by history, tradition, and lived experience. Moreover, genetic testing raises important ethical, social, and privacy concerns that must be carefully considered before it is widely relied upon as a tool for defining identity.
Iftikhar Mubarak, who heads an NGO, believes that the weakening of family identity was largely due to urban life and economic pressure, where an individual’s identity was linked more to economic status than to caste. “There is no immediate state-level solution to this problem,” he points out. “But families can record interviews with elders, preserve old photographs and documents, collect records of ancestral areas and graveyards, and compile family trees. Such steps can provide a foundation for future generations.”
Muhammad Ashfaq now shows his children the same old photograph and tells them that this was their grandfather. “I do not want future generations to search for their identity only through nameless pictures. In Pakistan, this story of missing generations and lost heritage is not merely a lament for the past but a question of the present. Without understanding this crisis of identity, belonging, and memory, it is becoming increasingly difficult to connect the new generation to its roots."