KARACHI: A district court in Karachi’s South district has acquitted Lyari gang war leader Uzair Baloch in an illegal weapons possession and facilitation case after the prosecution failed to establish charges against him, officials confirmed on Thursday.
According to the court’s ruling, the prosecution could not present sufficient evidence or credible witnesses to prove Baloch’s involvement in possessing illegal arms and aiding criminal activities. The court therefore extended the benefit of doubt to the accused under Section 245(i) of the Criminal Procedure Code and ordered his acquittal.
However, the court clarified that Uzair Baloch remains implicated in several other criminal cases, including murder, extortion, and terrorism-related charges, and his release will depend on the outcomes of those trials.
Baloch, once known as the ringleader of the notorious Lyari gang war, was arrested in 2016 and has since faced dozens of cases filed under anti-terrorism and criminal laws. Despite multiple prosecutions, many of the cases have resulted in acquittals due to lack of evidence or weak witness testimonies.
Legal experts have stated that the repeated failure to secure convictions highlights the need for stronger investigation and prosecution processes in high-profile criminal cases.
