ATC tells IO to ensure Uzair Baloch appears at next hearing

Karachi

An anti-terrorism court on Saturday heard two cases against Lyari gangster Uzair Jan Baloch and ordered the authorities concerned to produce him before the court.

While hearing the case, the judge of the court expressed his disappointment over the failure of the authorities to produce Baloch in the hearing.

Expressing his anguish, the judge asked the relevant authorities to submit a detailed report as to why the accused had not been produced before the court during the hearing. 

The judge, once again, ordered for producing Baloch before the court on the next hearing.

Earlier on June 7, an anti-terrorism court had conducted hearing against Uzair Baloch in four cases pertaining to the charges of possession of illegal arms, explosive material, police encounter and killing and injuring of policemen.

The investigation officer (IO) had told the court that the cases were registered in the Kalakot police station and other police stations in Lyari. 

The court had directed the IO to produce of Uzair Baloch on June 30. 

The report of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) had not been submitted before the court. The court in the illegal arms cases against Uzair Baloch had already accepted charge-sheets. Some of the cases of possession of illegal arms, explosive material and police encounter had been lodged in the Nabi Bukhsh police station.

The Sindh Rangers had declared on January 30 that they had arrested chief of the defunct People’s Aman Committee (PAC) Uzair Jan Baloch alias Aziz Jan Baloch, for whom the Sindh government had announced head money of Rs2 million.

Baloch was arrested when Rangers personnel intercepted his jeep on the outskirts of Karachi, claimed a spokesman for the paramilitary force. He said that the Rangers personnel had prior intelligence and had been alert in the area where Baloch was arrested. After his arrest, Baloch was produced before an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) that granted the Rangers his 90-day preventive detention under Section 11-EEEE. It is expected that a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) comprising different law enforcement agencies would be constituted for a probe relating to Uzair’s arrest.

The notorious leader of the People’s Aman Committee was then shifted to the Rangers Headquarters.

Uzair Baloch was wanted by Karachi Police in more than 50 cases registered against him in different police stations. He is also wanted for the brutal murder of the leader of a rival gang, Arshad Pappu.

Baloch escaped from Karachi and went to Dubai when an operation against criminals, spearheaded by the Sindh Rangers, began in September 2013.

Later, the Pakistani security agencies contacted their counterparts in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and sought help from Interpol to arrest Baloch.

Subsequently, on the request of the Pakistani authorities, Interpol issued a Red Warrant on June 11, 2014. The Red Warrant stated: “Fugitive wanted for prosecution [...] This person may be dangerous.”

The News learnt that Uzair Baloch had been in the custody of the Pakistani authorities since 2015. However, the security agencies refrained from making an official announcement on this matter.

Sources also said that it was during detention by the Pakistani law-enforcement agencies that a video of Baloch confessing to his alleged crimes was recorded.

Baloch confessed to his involvement in cases of money laundering, racketeering, land grabbing, extortion and kidnapping for ransom.

The sources told ‘The News’ that Baloch also operated gambling dens in Karachi and near the Hub Chowki area and also made millions of rupees by smuggling Iranian diesel in his father’s transport containers.

Who is Uzair Baloch?

Baloch’s father, Faiz Muhammad alias Mama Faizu, used to run a transport business in Lyari and was also a close associate of notorious gangster, Abdul Rehman Baloch, who was popularly known as Rehman Dakait.

Between 2001 and 2002, Rahman Dakait had a disagreement with his rival Arshad Pappu over a matter pertaining to a transport union.

It is said that Arshad Pappu had murdered Mama Faizu to settle some score with Rehman Dakait.

Uzair Jan Baloch then joined Rehman Dakait’s gang so he could avenge his father.

In 2005, the Sindh government formed a Lyari Task Force, led by deceased SP Chaudhry Aslam, who also arrested Baloch in several criminal cases, but he was released on bail.

In July 2009, SP Aslam killed Rehman Dakait and his aides in an encounter on the outskirts of Karachi. Then in August 2009, Uzair Baloch succeeded Rehman Dakait and took over the activities of the Lyari Aman Committee, renamed it as the People’s Aman Committee, and became its head.

In 2012, when criminal activities in Lyari began getting out of hand, on the directives of the Sindh government the provincial police launched an operation in Lyari that lasted for five days. However, Baloch managed to escape arrest.

In 2013, a close aide of Uzair Baloch, Zafar Baloch, was shot dead in Lyari and this was followed by the formation of a gang, led by Baba Ladla, who dissociated himself from Uzair. 

Infighting and gang violence in Lyari grew and continued unabated till it was curbed by the Rangers-led Karachi operation.