Chapter 51: The Rise of Family Conflicts
The decline of the Dewan Group was not only a story of government pressure, financial scandals, and shifting economic policies. At its heart, it was also a story of a family empire that could not withstand the strains of generational transition, diverging visions, and unhealed wounds.
By the time Pakistan had entered 2021, the Dewans were no longer united under a single banner of ambition. Instead, they had splintered into factions — brothers, cousins, and even in-laws pulling in different directions, each determined to protect his own stake in a shrinking empire.
The seeds of conflict had been planted long before, in the late 2000s, when defaults on loans and failed ventures in the automotive and cement sectors had forced the family to make tough choices. Those seeds were now flowering into open disputes.
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Scene 1: A family boardroom in Karachi
The Shahrah-e-Faisal head office that had once hosted jubilant meetings of expansion now hosted bitter arguments.
Dewan Mohammad Yousuf Farooqui, patriarch of the family, sat at the head of the table. Age had slowed him, but not dulled his authority. His sons Salman and Ishtiaq, along with nephew Ali Farooqui, sat across from him. The tension was palpable.
"Father," Salman began, holding up the latest financial statements, "we cannot keep pretending we are one united group. The creditors know it. The government knows it. Even the workers know it. It's time we divide assets formally."
Ishtiaq slammed his palm on the table. "Divide assets? This isn't some roadside shop. These factories, these plants, the auto franchise — they were built by Dewan blood and sweat. And you want to carve them up like pieces of meat?"
Ali, younger and sharper, leaned forward. "Ishtiaq bhai, with respect, what's the alternative? We're drowning in debt. The cement plants are under litigation, the textile units are shut, and Hyundai already pulled away from us. Unity sounds noble, but in practice, it's killing us."
Yousuf's voice cut through the room.
"Do not forget who you are. You are Dewans. When I negotiated with Benazir Bhutto, when I sat with Musharraf, when I signed deals with Korean and Saudi partners — no one dared question our unity. And now you want to turn brothers into competitors?"
Salman's voice trembled with suppressed anger.
"With all due respect, Abba, times have changed. We are not in the 1990s anymore. This is Imran Khan's Pakistan. Regulators do not care about the Dewan name. We need clarity, and if that means division, then so be it."
The silence afterward was heavy, broken only by the ticking of the old wall clock — the same one that had marked hours of triumph, now counting down the moments of disintegration.
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Scene 2: The Lahore confrontation
Weeks later, the family gathered again — this time in Lahore, at a rented house near Gulberg. Present were Yousuf, Salman, Ishtiaq, Ali, and two cousins, Faisal and Kamran, who controlled smaller wings of the group's real estate and trading businesses.
Tension quickly escalated into shouting.
Kamran accused Salman of trying to monopolize what little was left.
"You want Dewan Cement for yourself. Don't deny it. You've been in secret talks with Lucky Cement's people to sell a stake!"
Salman's eyes flashed.
"Yes, I met them. And why not? At least they're willing to inject money. What have you done, Kamran? Sit idle while we collapse?"
Ishtiaq jumped in, pointing at his brother.
"You went behind our backs, Salman! Do you realize what this means? If Lucky takes over, the Dewan name will vanish!"
Ali tried to calm them.
"Brothers, shouting won't help. Look at the Saigals — they divided early, and that's why each branch survived. Look at the Hashwanis — each brother carved his share. We should learn instead of fighting."
But the idea of learning from rivals only stoked their egos further.
Yousuf, exhausted, muttered under his breath:
"Perhaps my greatest mistake was giving you all too much freedom and too little discipline."
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Scene 3: The politics of inheritance
Behind the loud arguments were quieter but equally dangerous tensions: inheritance.
Relatives whispered that Yousuf, though alive, was being pressured to decide which son would inherit control of the flagship businesses. Rumors spread among employees that Salman, being older, wanted cement and real estate, while Ishtiaq preferred automotive and energy.
At a private meeting, Salman cornered his father.
"Abba, you know I am the only one capable of negotiating with creditors. I've been to Islamabad, I've spoken to bankers. Ishtiaq cannot even manage his personal accounts. You must make it clear — the cement and real estate units should come under me."
Yousuf looked at him with tired eyes.
"Salman, you speak like a politician, not a son. Leadership is not claimed by shouting; it is earned through responsibility."
The very next day, Ishtiaq made his own case.
"Abba, I've stood by you in the hardest times. When Hyundai pulled out, I didn't run. When the workers protested, I faced them. Salman only wants power. You must trust me."
Yousuf said nothing, leaving the brothers to stew in jealousy and suspicion.
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Scene 4: Karachi society whispers
The disputes did not stay hidden. Karachi's business circles, at clubs like Sindh Club and Karachi Gymkhana, buzzed with gossip.
One evening, at Sindh Club, Arif Habib leaned toward a colleague and whispered:
"The Dewans are finished. The brothers cannot even sit in the same room. Do you know, their creditors now receive three different settlement proposals — one from Salman, one from Ishtiaq, one from the cousins?"
Another industrialist laughed bitterly.
"In Pakistan, family feuds kill empires faster than NAB or State Bank. Look at Saif Group, look at Crescent Group — history repeats itself."
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Scene 5: Bankers take note
In the boardrooms of National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) and Habib Bank Limited (HBL), bankers who had once bent over backwards for the Dewans now watched with cold detachment.
An internal NBP memo dated June 2021 read:
> "The Dewan Group has failed to present a unified restructuring plan. Multiple family factions claim authority, making negotiations impossible. Recommendation: proceed with litigation and asset recovery rather than compromise."
In a meeting at HBL, one senior banker said bluntly:
"These people cannot even manage their family. How can they manage an empire? Enough is enough. Time to cut our losses."
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Scene 6: A confrontation at home
At the Dewan residence in Karachi, matters boiled over one evening.
Salman accused Ishtiaq of secretly moving funds.
"You diverted payments from Dewan Petroleum to your personal accounts. Don't deny it — I have the receipts."
Ishtiaq stood up, red-faced.
"And you, Salman, leased out company property to your friends in DHA at throwaway prices. Who are you to lecture me?"
Ali tried to interject, but both brothers ignored him. The shouting escalated until Yousuf, frail but furious, shouted:
"Enough! You shame me. You shame the Dewan name. Do you not see? The world is watching us tear ourselves apart."
But the words, heavy as they were, no longer held sway.
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Scene 7: The outside world reacts
Journalists picked up on the feud. In Dawn, a column read:
"The once-mighty Dewan Group now resembles a house divided. As external pressures mount, internal family disputes threaten to extinguish whatever chance remains for revival."
On social media, memes circulated: pictures of Dewan factories rusting, captioned, 'Brothers in arms… against each other.'
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Scene 8: A secret dinner in Islamabad
In August 2021, Salman quietly arranged a dinner in Islamabad with Lucky Cement's Abid Majeed and a representative from DG Khan Cement. The discussion was about selling Dewan Cement.
Unknown to him, Ishtiaq learned of the meeting and stormed into the hotel mid-dinner.
"You dare sell what belongs to all of us behind our backs?" Ishtiaq shouted in front of stunned executives.
Salman's face hardened.
"At least I'm trying to save something. You would rather let everything rot while we pretend to be united."
The investors excused themselves quickly. Later, one of them remarked privately:
"If the Dewans cannot even control their own dining table, how can they control a cement plant?"
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Scene 9: The patriarch's despair
At night, Yousuf sat alone in his study, looking at the portraits of past achievements — the inauguration of Dewan Cement, the launch of Hyundai Dewan Motors, his meetings with Saudi princes.
He whispered softly:
"We built an empire, and now my own blood tears it down. Perhaps this is the price of ambition without succession planning."
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Reflections
By late 2021, the Dewan family conflicts had spilled into courts. Lawsuits over control of assets, counter-claims of mismanagement, and bitter family feuds were no longer whispers but public record.
The collapse of the Dewan Group was no longer just a tale of Pakistan's changing economic policies or political conspiracies. It was now also a tragedy of family discord — where ambition, ego, and mistrust destroyed what external forces alone could not.
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