Key Takeaways
- Zubair Baloch, brother of imprisoned gangster Uzair Baloch, was shot and critically injured.
- Two passersby were also wounded during the incident on Chakiwara Road.
- Police suspect gang rivalry or personal enmity as possible motives for the attack.
Zubair Baloch, 40, brother of Uzair Baloch, a former chief of the defunct People’s Amn Committee and currently imprisoned in seven criminal cases, was shot and critically injured on Thursday evening in Karachi's Lyari area.
According to Chakiwara police, Zubair sustained multiple injuries including to his chest and abdomen. He was immediately taken to Civil Hospital Karachi for surgery.
Two passersby were also wounded during the incident, one of whom is reportedly in serious condition.
South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza stated that Zubair had been arrested in seven criminal cases in 2012 and was released in January 2025. He added that the attack occurred when armed suspects on a motorcycle opened fire while Zubair was sitting outside his residence in Singu Lane.
The DIG noted that one of the injured passersby was also hit by gunfire, and that the attackers fled after a nearby shopkeeper returned fire.
A social activist from the area told Dawn that Zubair had recently joined a 'political party' and raised its flags in his neighborhood. The activist mentioned rumors about gangsters who had fled to Dubai and Iran returning following the US-Iran war, raising fears of a possible resurgence of past gang wars in Lyari.
Earlier this year, an anti-terrorism court rejected bail applications for Uzair Baloch in seven cases related to murder, police encounter, and possession of explosives. In 2012, Uzair was charged with attacking law enforcers with firearms and explosives within the jurisdiction of Kalakot police station.
In April 2020, a military court convicted Uzair Baloch of espionage and sentenced him to 12 years in jail.
