As gang war intensifies, many Lyari residents move out

Clashes between Baba Ladla, Amn Committee have forced as many as 2,500 families to depart.

KARACHI: As gang war intensified in Lyari, many locals on Sunday started to move out of the violence-ridden area of Karachi, Express News reported.

As many as 2,500 families are reportedly in the process of moving their valuables out of the area.

Most of the locals – who are shifting to escape violence – don’t have a definite re-location point, however, are desperate to leave Lyari as they fear situation will only get worse.

Clash

The fresh spate of gang war in Lyari  is between the notorious gangster, Baba Ladla, and the outlawed Peoples Amn Committee, which began on October 24 while the law enforcers were conducting raids.

To avoid arrests, members of Uzair Baloch’s group fled to the area dominated by Baba Ladla. As soon as they entered his turf, Ladla’s gang members opened fire as they were under the impression that the men from the rival group had come to attack them. Three people were killed the first day with reportedly no links to either party.

On October 25, however, the killings became targeted – two members of Baba Ladla’s group and one of Uzair Baloch were killed along with one passer-by. A notorious gangster, Jabbar Langra of Ladla’s group was killed in an alleged encounter with the Rangers.

Early October 26 morning, another known gangster of Ladla’s group, Yousuf Shah, was killed during an alleged encounter with the Rangers and police. Four alleged gangsters associated with the Wasihullah Lakho group of Lyari gangsters were also apprehended with a huge cache of hand grenades, weapons and ammunitions in their possession.

Baba Ladla, Uzair Baloch relationship

The ongoing unrest in Lyari may have exposed the growing differences between Baloch and Ladla but this relationship was rocky from the start.

A minor clash between the Lyari gangsters and the PAC surfaced soon after Rahman Baloch alias Rahman Dacoit was killed in encounter on August 9, 2009. The Express Tribune learnt that senior political activists and the gangsters held long discussions and eventually agreed to make Baba the commander of the militant wing while Uzair would be the political face of the Amn committee, who will talk to Pakistan Peoples Party leaders, the local administration and various communities in the area.

“Baba approved Uzair’s name as the chief of the PAC but not as the sardar,” disclosed a senior leader who was close to the PAC’s affairs. “Baba has never been fond of popularity or political fame,” he pointed out, adding that Baba agreed to this arrangement on the condition that his ‘matters’ and his men will not be bothered.

“He [Baba] would always overshadow Uzair in his meetings and, sometimes, he misbehaved with him, warning him to keep his bloody politics away from his affairs,” recalled another senior political worker.

Baba always restricted himself to his “own business”, he said, explaining that his business included drug deals, gambling and kidnappings. “He would always take out his anger on Uzair and Zafar Baloch when his men were detained and killed by the law-enforcement agencies.”