Brother of jailed gangster Uzair Baloch, whose story inspired 'Dhurandhar', critically injured in Karachi shooting

Zubair Baloch, the brother of imprisoned Pakistani gangster Uzair Baloch — whose violent rise to power is said to have inspired the recently released Bollywood film "Dhurandhar" — is reported to be in critical condition after being shot in a targeted attack in Karachi's Lyari neighbourhood, according to a report by the Times of India.

The incident took place on Thursday evening when the 40-year-old was sitting outside his residence on Singu Lane. Two masked attackers riding a motorcycle allegedly opened fire on him, hitting him in the chest and abdomen, the report said. Zubair was rushed to Civil Hospital Karachi, where he underwent emergency surgery. According to the report, two bystanders were also caught in the crossfire during the shooting, with one of them said to be in serious condition.

Citing Pakistani police, the report said the attackers managed to flee the scene after a nearby shopkeeper returned fire on them. Visuals from a CCTV camera installed near the spot, which later surfaced on Telegram channels, reportedly showed the panic and confusion on the street as the assailants made their escape.

Investigators told local media outlets in Pakistan that they were examining multiple possible motives behind the attack, including personal rivalry as well as the possibility of a resurgence of long-running gang conflicts in the area, the report added.

Zubair had reportedly been arrested in connection with several criminal cases back in 2012 and was released from prison only last year. His brother Uzair Baloch, meanwhile, continues to serve a 12-year sentence handed down by a military court. According to the report, Uzair and a number of his associates had been indicted over a 2012 armed assault on law enforcement personnel that fell under the jurisdiction of the Kalakot police station. Separately, in April 2020, Uzair was also sentenced to 12 years in prison on espionage-related charges.

The Lyari neighbourhood of Karachi, where the latest shooting took place, has for decades been associated with organised crime and gang violence, according to the report. The origins of this unrest reportedly go back to early disputes over control of drug trafficking routes and extortion networks in the locality, which over time evolved into a larger, high-stakes conflict entangled with the interests of major political groups operating in the region.

Among the most notorious figures to emerge from this underworld were Sardar Abdul Rehman Baloch, popularly known as Rehman Dakait, and his rival Arshad Pappu, both of whom reportedly turned Lyari's narrow lanes into contested territory. The report noted that these gang leaders were said to have relied on political patronage, including through groups such as the Peoples' Aman Committee, to shield their criminal operations from police action. Following Rehman Dakait's death during a police encounter in 2009, his cousin Uzair Baloch is said to have taken charge of the dominant faction within Lyari's underworld, cementing his position as one of the most feared gang leaders in the city's history.

Uzair Baloch's story, marked by his rise from a local enforcer to one of Karachi's most powerful gang bosses before his eventual downfall and imprisonment, is widely believed to have served as inspiration for the character arc portrayed in "Dhurandhar," a film that dramatises the ruthless underworld dynamics of the region.

As of the report, Pakistani police were said to be continuing their investigation into the shooting, with no arrests confirmed yet.