Was acting on Zardari's orders, Uzair Baloch claims in confessional statement

KARACHI: More details emerged out of the confessional statement of infamous Lyari gang war leader Uzair Baloch on Thursday as he claimed that he had forcibly vacated 30 to 40 bungalows and apartments near Bilawal House in Karachi on the orders of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari.

Uzair in the statement claimed that he also provided assistance to Awais Muzaffar Tappi and Zardari in occupying 14 sugar mills.

He said that the bounty on his head and cases against him were dropped after the intervention of Zardari and Faryal Talpur.

According to the details which emerged on Wednesday, Uzair had mentioned that he and his wife were facing threats to their life, from political figures including Asif Ali Zardari.

The kingpin of Lyari gang war had accepted involvement in several charges against him in a confessional statement in front of a magistrate last year.

The gangster, known for his central role in Lyari gang war, was nabbed by the Rangers on January 30, 2016, and within a year handed over to the army for ‘leaking sensitive information’ to the country’s enemies.

After his 90-day remand in the Rangers’ custody, the gangster had made a confessional statement in front of a magistrate on April 24, 2016, where he accepted the charges levelled against him.

Read more: Deeper and darker: A Pakistani gangster's Iran connection

He also revealed that he leaked ‘sensitive information’ to foreign agencies. He claimed that a man identified as Haji Nasir, an alleged member of the Iranian intelligence agency, had introduced Uzair to other members of the agency.

He confessed that he shared information regarding Armed Forces with the foreign intelligence, adding he shared information on Corps Commander, Station Commander and Naval Commander in the city.

Moreover, it was also revealed that Uzair played an integral role in the appointment of Saeed Baloch and Nisar Morai in the Fishermen Cooperative Society, which used to pay Rs2 million extortion on monthly basis to Uzair.

The gangster had also confessed to appointing those SHOs who helped him extend his criminal activities. He claimed that leaders such as Zulfiqar Mirza, Qadir Patel, Yousuf Baloch had helped him get SHOs of his choice posted.

On April 12, the Pakistan Army took Uzair Baloch into custody on charges of espionage, after nearly 15 months of his detention with different law enforcement agencies following his arrest in January 2016.

Director-General ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor confirmed via Twitter that the Army has taken custody of Baloch for leaking "sensitive security information to foreign intelligence agencies."