Uzair Baloch

Uzair Jan Baloch was born on 11 January 1979 in Lyari, Karachi. His father, Faiz Muhammad (known as Faizu Mama), was a transporter who originated from Iranian Balochistan. 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 and national identity card. In around 2010, his Iranian documents expired and he renewed them. He 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).

Uzair 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. Due to his influential ties, it is alleged that Baloch enjoyed political patronage and was “protected” by the PPP from facing charges. Baloch denies all the charges against him and says they are “politically motivated”.

December 2015, he was arrested by the Interpol in Dubai while still in hiding. In 2016, he reappeared in Karachi, only to be arrested by the Rangers during a targeted operation. That same year, the Supreme Court of Pakistan took suo moto notice of his involvement in the murder of gangster Arshad Pappu, bringing his activities into attention.