KARACHI: Zubair Baloch, the brother of jailed gangster Uzair Baloch, was critically injured after unidentified gunmen opened fire on him in Karachi’s Lyari neighbourhood on Thursday evening, police said.
According to Chakiwara police, the shooting took place on Main Chakiwara Road, where Zubair Baloch, 40, sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Two bystanders were also caught in the firing and injured. All three victims were shifted to Civil Hospital Karachi for medical treatment.
South DIG Syed Asad Raza said Zubair was sitting outside his residence in Singu Lane when two armed assailants riding a motorcycle arrived, opened fire, and escaped from the scene.
Police said Zubair suffered serious injuries to his chest and abdomen and underwent emergency surgery. One of the injured passersby was also reported to be in critical condition.
Investigators are examining several possible motives behind the attack, including personal enmity and rivalry between criminal groups, the DIG added.
A local social activist, speaking anonymously, claimed that Zubair had recently joined a political party and had displayed its flags in his neighbourhood.
The activist also said there were growing concerns among Lyari residents over reports that some alleged gang members who had left Pakistan during the Karachi operation and were believed to be living in Dubai and Iran had returned after the recent US-Iran conflict, raising fears of renewed gang violence in the area.
According to the activist, the attackers had concealed their identities and fled after a nearby shopkeeper reportedly returned fire.
Earlier this year, in March, an anti-terrorism court rejected Uzair Baloch’s bail applications in seven cases involving charges of murder, attempted murder of police personnel and possession of explosives.
Uzair Baloch and several co-accused were booked for allegedly attacking law enforcement officials with firearms and explosive devices in 2012 within the limits of Kalakot police station.
In April 2020, a military court convicted Uzair Baloch on espionage charges and sentenced him to 12 years’ imprisonment.
