Zubair Baloch, the brother of Uzair Baloch, a Pakistani gangster and the chief of the defunct People’s Aman Committee, was shot in Karachi in Pakistan’s Lyari on Thursday evening.
Baloch is reportedly in critical condition. Pakistani newspaper Dawn said he was shot in his chest and abdomen, and was taken to the city’s Civil Hospital. Two bystanders were also injured in the shooting.
The Dawn report said the shooters – who were on a motorcycle – covered their faces and fled after a shopkeeper returned fire. Syed Asad Raza, a senior cop, said Baloch was outside his home at the time.
Zubair Baloch had reportedly been arrested in 2012 and was released in January last year. The police are investigating the incident from multiple angles, including gang rivalry and personal enmity, reports said.
Residents fear return of gang violence
A social activist from Lyari told Dawn that Zubair Baloch joined a “political party” a few months ago and had raised its flags in the area.
The activist also said there were rumours that some gangsters who had fled to Dubai and Iran after the ‘Karachi operation’ had returned following the US-Iran war.
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Residents are reportedly worried about a possible revival of gang wars.
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World · Pakistan · Karachi
Uzair Baloch: the Lyari gang-war figure, explained
Once called Karachi's most feared gang leader, Uzair Jan Baloch is now imprisoned — convicted of espionage by a military court, still facing dozens of criminal cases, and acquitted in several.
.Convicted (espionage) · other cases ongoing
At a glance
Full nameUzair Jan Baloch
Known asAlleged Lyari gang-war “kingpin”
BaseLyari, Karachi
GroupChief of the now-defunct Peoples Aman Committee (PAC)
Current statusImprisoned in Karachi
Convicted ofEspionage (military court, 2020)
Uzair Baloch rose from Karachi's Lyari neighbourhood to lead the Peoples Aman Committee, a group that authorities say ran organised crime under political cover. He was arrested by the paramilitary Rangers in 2016 and has been in custody since.
Descriptions such as “kingpin” reflect how police and news outlets characterise him; allegations are not the same as proven facts.
Rise, flight and arrest
.
2008
After the killing of Rehman Dakait, Baloch reportedly takes over the gang and the Peoples Aman Committee (Geo News).
.
March 2013
Rival gangster Arshad Pappu is killed; prosecutors later allege Baloch's gang was responsible (Geo, The News).
.
Dec 2014
Detained by Interpol in Dubai while travelling from Muscat (Gulf News).
.
Jan 30, 2016
Arrested by the Rangers on the outskirts of Karachi (Dawn, Geo, Gulf News).
.
April 2017
Handed to military custody over alleged espionage and links to foreign intelligence (Dawn, Gulf News, ISPR).
.
Since 2016
Remains in custody in Karachi, appearing across multiple trials.
Timeline compiled from Dawn, Geo News, The News and Gulf News. The Peoples Aman Committee was outlawed; Baloch denies the criminal allegations.
The conviction on record
Convicted — military court, April 4, 2020
Sentenced to 12 years' rigorous imprisonment for spying under the Official Secrets Act — the authorities allege he passed information to foreign intelligence (Dawn).
What he is accused of elsewhere
MurderAttempted murderKidnapping for ransomExtortionTerrorismLand grabbing
His denial: Baloch has pleaded not guilty to the murder charges — “I did not kill anyone,” he told an anti-terrorism court — and says he never recorded the confession police attribute to him (reported by ANI/Samaa).
These are charges and allegations across separate cases, not proven convictions, except the 2020 espionage sentence. Sources: Dawn, Geo News, The News.
Convicted, acquitted, still pending
1
conviction on record (espionage, 12 yrs)
Several
acquittals for lack of evidence
Dozens
cases still pending trial
ConvictedA military court sentenced him to 12 years for espionage in 2020 (Dawn).
AcquittedCleared in several murder cases in 2021 — courts cited a lack of evidence and gave the benefit of the doubt (Geo, Aaj) — and in an arms-smuggling case in December 2025 (Pakistan Today).
PendingPrison authorities said he faced roughly 59 other cases awaiting trial; reports have put the total registered against him at around 65 (Dawn, Geo).
Figures reflect what news outlets reported at the time and can change as trials conclude. Acquittals mean charges were not proven in those cases.
Sources: Dawn · Geo News · The News · Gulf News · Pakistan Today · Aaj News · ANI/Samaa. Except the 2020 espionage conviction, allegations are unproven; Baloch denies the criminal charges.
The post city of Lyari in Karachi had been the hub of counter-insurgency operations against criminals in Pakistan in 2012. The police launched its ‘Grand Operation’in 2012, Dawn reported.
In the operation, which lasted more than five days, 20 people including six police officers lost their lives. Around 150 families are reported to have relocated from Lyari following the operation by the police.
In 2012, Uzair Baloch had said that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had no future in Karachi as the party’s grip on Lyari vote-bank had weakened significantly.
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in March in Pakistan rejected the bail applications of Uzair Baloch in seven cases related to murder, police encounters and possession of explosives.
Uzair Baloch and others were accused of attacking law enforcement personnel with firearms and explosives in 2012 under the jurisdiction of Kalakot police station.
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