Uzair Jan Baloch Baloch is a key figurehead of Karachi’s notorious gang war in his hometown, Lyari. He is also the former chief of the Peoples Aman Committee, which was a militant group linked to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
Baloch is accused in several cases involving murder, extortion and terrorism, and after being arrested many times, became a fugitive wanted by law enforcement agencies.
Early life
Uzair Jan Baloch was born on 11 January 1979 in Karachi’s Lyari area. His father, Faiz Muhammad (known as Faizu Mama), was a transporter who originated from Balochistan.
Political career
Baloch started off his career in politics as an independent candidate in the 2001 municipal elections for Lyari’s mayorship but lost to Habib Hassan of the Pakistan Peoples Party.
Uzair’s foray into organized crime
In 2003, his father was kidnapped for ransom and brutally murdered by Arshad Pappu, son of the Lyari drug lord Haji Lalu. This is said to have marked Uzair’s foray into organized crime, as he set out to avenge his father’s murder.
He initially pursued his father’s murder case in courts but received threats from Lalu’s gang. Arshad Pappu happened to be a rival of gangster Rehman Dakait, Uzair’s first cousin, with the two involved in a bitter conflict over land and drugs in Lyari.
His cousin Rehman invited him to join his gang, and while Uzair initially refused, he later acquiesced as they shared a common enemy. Members of the two gangs started killing each other, with casualties reaching the hundreds. In 2009, Dakait was killed during an encounter with police and Uzair Baloch took over his gang.
In 2013, Arshad Pappu and his brother Yasir Arafat were eventually kidnapped by Uzair’s gang, tortured and beheaded. Their corpses were paraded before being burnt, and the ashes dumped in a sewer. Uzair Baloch and his associate Baba Ladla reportedly played football with the severed heads.
Criminal activities and arrests
In 2003, Uzair was arrested by a Sindh police SP Chaudhry Aslam but was later released on bail due to his links with politicians. After the killing of Rehman Dakait, Uzair became the new gang leader and was involved in many criminal activities.
He also became chief of the Peoples Aman Committee. Uzair also had links with Pakistan Peoples Party and was protected by PPP until 2012.
In June 2014, Sindh Government-issued his red warrants and head money of Rs.2 million. He was wanted for more than 50 cases of extortions, target killings of policemen and gang members.
Arrested by Interpol from Dubai
Uzair left Pakistan after his red warrants were issued. On 29 December 2015, he was arrested by Interpol from Dubai International Airport. He was taken into custody by Interpol and was brought back to Pakistan.
Rangers-Army custody
On 30 January 2016, Pakistan Sindh Rangers took Uzair into custody after getting his physical remand from a Sindh Anti Terrorism Courts.
In April 2017, the army had announced that it had taken Uzair into its custody on charges of “espionage” and “leak of sensitive security information to foreign intelligence agencies”.
Prison authorities had told an ATC in June 2018 that Uzair was handed over to the army on April 11, 2017, in the presence of the civil judge and judicial magistrate-XI (South) for investigation in an explosives and arms case.
PTI ask SHC to unveil reports on Uzair Baloch
The PTI has approached the Sindh High Court (SHC) for publication of the reports compiled after inquiries into the high profile criminal activities.
On October 2017, the PTI’s leader, Ali Haider Zaidi filed a petition, seeking to make public the reports prepared after probe into Baldia factory fire incident, activities of Uzair Jan Baloch – chief of the now-defunct Peoples Amn Committee, and the former chairperson of the Fishermen Cooperative Society, Nisar Morai.
“The failure of the Sindh authorities to make public the JIT reports on the activities of Uzair Baloch and others is a violation of the right to information guaranteed under the Article 19-A of the Constitution,” the petitioner said.
Court hands down 12 years prison term to Baloch
On April 07, 2020, Uzair Baloch sentenced to 12 years imprisonment and sent to the Central Jail Karachi after the completion of military trial against him.
Recent JIT report
Gangster Uzair Baloch confessed to committing criminal activities in connivance with the Karachi police and political set-up in the province.
The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) has prepared a 36-page report against the notorious gangster, Uzair Baloch, which stated that he admitted to killing 198 persons including officials of police forces and Rangers.
The investigators also listed names of Uzair Baloch’s family members, as well as exposed his accomplices who had carried out inhumane crimes including killings gang war opponents, policemen, Rangers officials and receiving extortion from citizens.
It emerged that Baloch had murdered almost all persons involved in the gang war or ethnic clashes, whereas, he used political influences to make appointments of several police officials of his own choice. The JIT report has the signatures of ISI, MI and other agencies which show the authenticity of the report.
Severe action should be taken
Now it is necessary to take severe action against all those responsible for the crimes. The fact is that Uzair Baloch voluntarily influenced the system of government in the country. PPP used Uzair Baloch and Uzair Baloch to use PPP for their own interests.
Gang leader Uzair Baloch can only be sentenced to death as a murderer, but Baloch’s crimes seem to demand a greater punishment than the death penalty.
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