Uzair Jan Baloch (
Urdu
Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...
/balochi ڈاکٹر عزیر جان بلوچ) is a Pakistani gangster, former crime lord and head of the outlawed Peoples' Aman Committee.
Early life
Uzair Jan Baloch was born on 11 January 1970 in
Lyari, Karachi. His father, Faiz Muhammad (known as Mama Faizu), was a transporter who originated from Iran's
Sistan and Balochistan province.
Some members of his family live in Iran and hold dual Iranian-Pakistani citizenship.
In 2006, Uzair fled to Iran while escaping an operation against Lyari's street gangs. There, he obtained an
Iranian passport
Iranian passports are issued to nationals of Iran for the purpose of international travel. The passport serves as a proof of Iranian citizenship. The Iranian passports are burgundy, with the Iranian emblem emblazoned on the top of the front cove ...
and
national identity card
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
. In around 2010, his Iranian documents expired and he renewed them.
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 People's Party.
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
organised crime
Organized crime is a category of transnational, national, or local group of centralized enterprises run to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally thought of as a form of illegal business, some ...
, 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
Sardar Abdul Rehman Baloch alias Rehman Dakait () was a Pakistani gangster based in Karachi's Lyari neighbourhood who formed the Peoples' Aman Committee. In urban Karachi, he is a mythical figure from the feared but not talked about Organised cri ...
, 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 a shootout 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.
''
The Friday Times
''The Friday Times'' (TFT) is a Pakistani English-language online publication based in Lahore, Pakistan.
History
''The Friday Times'' was first published in May 1989. TFT's founder-editor Najam Sethi and publisher Jugnu Mohsin, a husband-and- ...
'' quoted Baloch as having said: "It is karma – what goes around comes around", referring to the avenging of his father's murder.
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 encounter of Rehman Dakait, Uzair became the new gang leader and was involved in many criminal activities. He also became chief of
Peoples Aman Committee. Uzair also had links with
Pakistan Peoples Party
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is a political party in Pakistan and one of the three major List of political parties in Pakistan, Pakistani political parties alongside the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. With a Cent ...
and was protected by PPP until 2012. In June 2014,
Sindh Government
The Government of Sindh () () is the provincial government of the province of Sindh, Pakistan. Its powers and structure are set out in the provisions of the 1973 Constitution, in which 30 Districts of 7 Divisions under its authority and juri ...
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.
Uzair left
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
after his red warrants were issued. On 29 December 2015, he was arrested by
Interpol
The International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL (abbreviated as ICPO–INTERPOL), commonly known as Interpol ( , ; stylized in allcaps), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime cont ...
from
Dubai International Airport
Dubai International Airport () is the primary international airport serving Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is the world's busiest airport by international passenger traffic as of 2024. It is also the busiest airport in the Middle East as ...
. He was taken into custody by
Interpol
The International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL (abbreviated as ICPO–INTERPOL), commonly known as Interpol ( , ; stylized in allcaps), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime cont ...
and was brought back to
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
. He was travelling from
Muscat
Muscat (, ) is the capital and most populous city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the population of the Muscat Governorate in 2022 was 1.72 million. ...
to
Dubai
Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
. On 30 January 2016,
Sindh Rangers
The Sindh Rangers (formally Pakistan Rangers Sindh) (Sindhi language, Sindhi:سنڌ رينجرز) is a federal paramilitary force in Pakistan. It is one of nine Civil Armed Forces and is one of two Ranger forces with the other one being the Pun ...
took Uzair into custody after getting his physical remand from
Sindh High Court
The High Court of Sindh () ( Sindhi: سنڌ ھائي ڪورٽ) is the highest judicial institution of the Pakistani province of Sindh. Established in 1906, the Court situated in the provincial capital at Karachi. Apart from being the highest ...
's administrative judge for the Anti Terrorism Courts.
He was in Mithadar hostel,
Karachi
Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...
under the custody of
Sindh Rangers
The Sindh Rangers (formally Pakistan Rangers Sindh) (Sindhi language, Sindhi:سنڌ رينجرز) is a federal paramilitary force in Pakistan. It is one of nine Civil Armed Forces and is one of two Ranger forces with the other one being the Pun ...
. In February 2016, Uzair's wife Samina Baloch filed application in the
Sindh High Court
The High Court of Sindh () ( Sindhi: سنڌ ھائي ڪورٽ) is the highest judicial institution of the Pakistani province of Sindh. Established in 1906, the Court situated in the provincial capital at Karachi. Apart from being the highest ...
to seek orders for his medical examination and permission for his family members to meet him.
On 7 April 2020, Uzair Baloch was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment and sent to the
Central Jail Karachi
Central Jail Karachi, also known as Central Prison Karachi, is a prison in the city of Karachi in Sindh, Pakistan. It houses more than 4800 prisoners including convicted terrorists that include militants who attempted to assassinate President of ...
after the completion of a military trial against him.
Total assets
According to Pakistani media reports, Uzair Baloch owns a four-story mansion in Lyari with an indoor swimming pool, in addition to a house worth 1.1 million dirhams in Dubai, an office in
Dubai International City
Dubai International City is a country-themed collection of residences, businesses, and tourist attractions. Spreading over an area of 800 hectares (8 million square meters), the arrangement of the city is inspired by the traditional carpets of the ...
worth 0.5 million dirhams,
a bungalow and plot in
Muscat
Muscat (, ) is the capital and most populous city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the population of the Muscat Governorate in 2022 was 1.72 million. ...
worth 0.9 million and 0.6 million dirhams respectively, and a property in
Chabahar
Chabahar ( (); ) is a city in the Central District (Chabahar County), Central District of Chabahar County, Sistan and Baluchestan province, Sistan and Baluchestan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. It is ...
worth Rs. 10 million.
The properties are registered under the names of his close relatives or friends.
He also has four bank accounts in Dubai holding over 1 million dirhams, and acres of land in
Chakiwara and
Hub worth several millions of rupees.
He also has the most expensive weapons and rifles in Pakistan.
See also
*
Umar Farooq Zahoor
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baloch, Uzair
1979 births
Baloch people
Living people
Iranian people of Pakistani descent
Pakistan People's Party politicians
Pakistani expatriates in the United Arab Emirates
Pakistani gangsters
Pakistani people of Iranian descent
People from Lyari Town
Politicians from Karachi