When blood ties break: Money, property disputes strain Pakistani families

Economic pressures and property disputes are driving relatives apart, weakening traditional family bonds

Once bound by blood and tradition, Pakistani families are increasingly being torn apart by money, property disputes and changing lifestyles. From fathers disowning sons to brothers becoming bitter rivals, relationships that once offered lifelong support are giving way to silence, resentment and estrangement.

A recent incident in Karachi, involving the alleged suicide of Dr Umar and his family, highlighted the extent to which family ties can deteriorate. Dr Umar’s brother, Muhammad Abu Bakr, told police that the two had not been in contact for the past 10 years. Their estrangement was so severe that Abu Bakr did not even know how many children his brother had. He learnt only after the incident, when he arrived in Karachi, that Dr Umar had three daughters.

The father of Dr Umar’s wife, Mahwish, also told police and the media that he had been out of contact with his daughter for a considerable period. As a result, he was unaware of the family’s deteriorating financial circumstances. He said he had visited his daughter’s flat for the first time after the incident.

Read: Domestic disputes overwhelm family courts

Announcements and public notices declaring estrangement between close relatives regularly appear in newspapers and on social media. Fathers disown sons, while brothers publicly sever ties with one another, often following prolonged family disputes.

Abdul Jabbar, a Larkana resident, told The Express Tribune he had considered disowning his drug-addicted son but dropped the idea after friends intervened. However, the two have long remained out of contact.

Last April, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) MNA Mir Aijaz Jakhrani publicly severed ties with his half-brother, Azad Jakhrani, days after their father’s death. Their relationship had deteriorated following the death of Ejaz’s son, Zaid, and later soured further over their father’s property.

Social scientists say several factors are contributing to the breakdown of family relationships, including urbanisation, changing lifestyles, financial pressures and inheritance disputes.

Also Read: Divorce, khula cases swamp family courts

Dr Riaz Ahmed Shaikh, a professor in the Department of Social Sciences at Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST), Karachi, told The Express Tribune that rapid urbanisation had largely dismantled the traditional joint-family system.

In rural communities, extended families traditionally lived together and supported one another in times of need. In cities, however, larger families often cannot live under one roof, weakening everyday interaction and mutual support.

Dr Shaikh also pointed to changing marriage patterns. In the past, marriages between cousins often kept extended families closely connected. As marriages increasingly take place outside the immediate family network, he said, relationships with blood relatives may become less close.

Advocate Muhammad Ismail Rajput said rising needs and growing aspirations were also creating friction within families. Financial difficulties can trigger disagreements when relatives are unable to meet one another’s needs, while competing ambitions and expectations can widen existing rifts.

Property and other family disputes frequently end up in court, where relatives become opposing parties in lengthy legal battles. Rajput said thousands of cases involving family members were pending before different courts. As disputes drag on, relatives who once shared close bonds can begin to treat one another more like adversaries than family.

Sindh Law Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar told the provincial assembly that around 200,000 cases were pending in the province, including 72,000 civil cases and over 25,000 family cases. Karachi’s District East recorded the highest number of civil and family disputes, highlighting how financial pressures, changing lifestyles and property conflicts are straining family ties.