KAS Officer Says Property Disputes Are Weakening Family Bonds, Hurting Parents

Srinagar : An Administrative officer has said that some of the most serious disputes witnessed today are increasingly taking place within families, particularly over land and property, leaving behind fractured relationships, emotional distress, and broken relationships.

The remarks by KAS officer Zeeshan Khan highlight what he described as a troubling social reality in which inheritance and property disputes are steadily eroding family bonds that once rested on trust, affection, and shared responsibility.

Drawing from his experience in the Revenue Department as an Assistant Collector and Tehsildar, Khan said he had realized that many of the bitter conflicts he encounters today are no longer between strangers but among close relatives.

“Over the years, while working in the Revenue Department as an Assistant Collector/Tehsildar, I have realised one painful truth, the biggest disputes today are no longer between strangers, but within families themselves,” Khan said.

He said brothers increasingly fight brothers, children turn against parents, and cousins become adversaries over land and inheritance issues, despite once sharing close emotional bonds and common households.

According to Khan, the emotional cost of such disputes often extends beyond legal proceedings and revenue cases, leaving elderly parents distressed and homes divided.

He said older generations, particularly those from the 1960s and 1970s, lived with limited means but stronger relationships and a deeper sense of family responsibility.

“The older generation, especially those from the 60s and 70s, had limited means but stronger relationships. They spent quality time together, stood by each other in hardships and valued family above everything else,” he said.

Khan observed that many elderly parents now silently watch as children drag one another into courts and revenue offices over inheritance and land-related disagreements.

He described such scenes as emotionally painful and said the breakdown of relationships often leaves wounds deeper than the property disputes themselves.

“Property can be divided on paper, but once hearts are divided, it becomes very difficult to rebuild families again,” Khan said.

The officer also linked some of the bitterness to growing dependence on ancestral property rather than self-earned success, saying greed and mistrust gradually poison households and push co-sharers into prolonged disputes.

At the same time, he noted that families engaged in work, responsibilities, and independent pursuits often remain distant from such conflicts because they understand the value of peace and relationships.

Khan urged people to reflect on the importance of preserving family ties before allowing inheritance and property disputes to permanently damage relationships and family harmony. [KNT]