Police one step closer to securing custody of Uzair Baloch

Published February 12, 2015
Uzair was arrested travelling from Muscat by Interpol in December 2014 and brought to Dubai —Reuters/File
Uzair was arrested travelling from Muscat by Interpol in December 2014 and brought to Dubai —Reuters/File

KARACHI: The case regarding handing over of the Lyari gang war's prime suspect, Uzair Baloch took a new turn on Thursday as Interpol asked Pakistani security officials to appear before the Dubai court to seek his custody.

The team of security officials, which is currently in Dubai to take Baloch into custody, met Interpol officials and provided them details related to all the cases registered against Peoples Aman Committee's (PAC) leader.

The Interpol officials then requested the police team from Pakistan to appear before the court where it will be decided whether to hand over Uzair Baloch to Pakistani authorities or not. Officials at the Pakistani embassy are reportedly in constant contact with authorities in Dubai to ensure the handover takes place.

The PAC, lead by Uzair Baloch, has been blamed for its criminal activities which included killings, extortion and drugs business — both by police and rival parties of the PPP.

Uzair was arrested by Interpol in December last year and brought to Dubai. Some police officers had claimed that Uzair would be extradited to Pakistan within 30 days.

However, it was two months later that a police team led by SSP Naveed Khwaja, DSP Kharadar Zahid Hussain, SSP Crime Investigation Department (CID) Usman Bajwa and a representative of Pakistan Rangers, Sindh left for Dubai to initiate the extradition process of the PAC leader.

Uzair, 37, has been considered the political face of the Pakistan Peoples Party in Lyari — a label the PPP is struggling to distance itself from. The PPP, which keeps its association with the Peoples Aman Committee, protected Uzair until 2012. Owais Muzaffar, better known as Tappi, wanted to contest elections from Lyari, which was refused by Uzair.

The ensuing rift within the PPP-PAC relations called for a hastily put together operation in April 2012, which insiders say was based on completely political reasons. The operation was called off after a week and as a result the PPP had to bow down to Uzair’s demands to pick and choose people from his cadre to contest in the general elections of 2013.

Later, differences within the Peoples Amn Committee and the widening gulf with the PPP government finally forced Uzair Baloch to leave Pakistan.

In June 2014, Islamabad, on a request by the Sindh government, asked Interpol to issue red warrants of Uzair Baloch and Noor Mohammad alias Baba Ladla., The latter was at one time Uzair’s close-aide, but later turned his rival.

The alleged gangster was mentioned as ‘wanted’ on Interpol's website ‘by the authorities of Pakistan for prosecution’ for ‘murder charges'.

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