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Early Life and Background
Lyari an impoverished, densely populated neighborhood of Karachi has long been notorious for gang violence and drug smuggling. Sardar Abdul Rehman Baloch (later called “Rehman Dakait”) was born there in the mid-1970s (some sources say 1975, others 1980) into a family already steeped in crime. His father Dadal Baloch and uncle Sheru were longtime drug smugglers in Lyari, and Rehman began peddling drugs as a child. Eyewitness reports claim he stabbed a man at age 13, and in 1995 he murdered his own mother (allegedly for colluding with rivals). After this matricide, he adopted the nickname “Rehman Dakait” (dakait means bandit). Growing up amid Lyari’s poverty and ethnic turbulence, Rehman Dakait’s early life foreshadowed his rise as a local strongman.
Rise in Karachi’s Underworld
Rehman Dakait’s ascent began in the late 1990s. He joined the gang of local don Haji Laloo, and after Laloo’s arrest in 2001 took over the organization himself. Under Rehman’s leadership, the gang thrived on extortion, kidnapping, drug smuggling and illegal arms trafficking. For nearly a decade he waged a bloody turf war in Lyari against rival gangs (most notably that of Arshad Pappu), which “left life paralysed” in the neighborhood. Rehman was frequently arrested (in 2006 he confessed that corrupt police officers protected him), but he escaped from custody twice. At one point the Sindh government put a Rs.5 million bounty on his head. Despite this, Rehman consolidated power across Lyari.
Major Events
1995: At about age 19, Rehman murdered his mother, Khadija Bibi, reportedly for alleged ties to a rival gang. This crime cemented his feared reputation.
2001: With Haji Laloo jailed, Rehman became boss of Laloo’s gang. He then expanded its operations in Lyari.Criminal Activities and Influence
Rehman Dakait’s gang dominated Lyari by mid-2000s. His network ran protection rackets, drug pipelines and arms sales. He even allegedly sold weapons to insurgents (such as the Balochistan Liberation Army), though police claimed they found no proof. By 2006 Rehman was powerful enough to patronize the local youth: he reportedly gave unemployed boys daily wages and Kalashnikovs to “patrol” Lyari. His rivalries were bloody one report claims he and his lieutenants were so ruthless they publicly displayed severed heads of enemies (an allegation reported in the press but unverified in court). Overall, Rehman brought Lyari almost completely under his control: by 2008, only members of his gang and allied groups felt safe on its streets
Political Connections and Support
Rehman Dakait cultivated political backing even as a criminal. Lyari has been a PPP stronghold for decades, and Rehman leveraged those ties. PAC rallies routinely featured PPP flags, and the PPP leadership reportedly allowed him a semi-legitimate role in Lyari’s affairs. Notably, Sindh Home Minister Zulfiqar Mirza (a top PPP leader) publicly described the PAC as a “sister organisation” of the PPP. Mirza later boasted in 2011, “I had Lyari killer Rehman killed,” though he backtracked to say he meant Rehman died during an operation he ordered. Pictures also circulated of Rehman standing beside senior PPP figures (and former PM Benazir Bhutto herself), which fueled belief in his patronage network
In contrast, the rival Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) treated Rehman and the PAC as enemies. The MQM accused the PAC of fueling Karachi’s gang-war violence and extortion. Under pressure from its MQM coalition partners, the PPP ultimately distanced itself from Rehman’s group. In late 2009 (after Rehman’s death), Interior Minister Rehman Malik announced that the PAC had “no links” with the PPP a statement that outraged many in Lyari (who burned PPP flags in protest). PAC leaders retorted that they were loyal PPP supporters and that local PPP politicians had openly embraced them.
Death in 2009: Encounter and Controversies
On 9 August 2009, Rehman Dakait and three associates were shot dead by Karachi police in Steel Town. Officials say a police squad led by SP Aslam Khan discovered Rehman’s location and engaged in a gunfight, during which he was killed. This was announced as an “encounter” killing of a wanted criminal. However, the circumstances remain disputed. Rehman’s close aide Zafar Baloch publicly alleged that the police engagement was staged as an extrajudicial execution claiming Rehman had wanted to surrender and even face trial to transform into a “social leader”. One PAC member pointed out that Rehman was shot at point-blank range (just a few feet), which is atypical of an unpredictable shootout.
Politically, Rehman’s death was also contentious. Zulfiqar Mirza (then PPP home minister) at first took credit for ordering Rehman’s killing. Later, PPP spokespeople insisted he was “a wanted man” and that his death would restore peace to Lyari. Rehman’s funeral on 10 August 2009 drew thousands of mourners, many openly questioning why the PPP had once tolerated and then eliminated Lyari’s most feared gangster. In Lyari’s eyes, the episode deepened cynicism toward politicians.
Aftermath: PAC and Lyari Post-Rehman
After Rehman’s death, his cousin Uzair Jan Baloch (alias Uzair Baloch) became the new leader of the People’s Aman Committee. Under Uzair, the PAC expanded into other Baloch-majority neighborhoods of Karachi and continued to fight rival groups (notably the MQM). However, its political cover soon evaporated: in early 2011 the PPP under intense MQM pressure agreed to disband and officially ban the PAC. The Sindh government formally outlawed the PAC in October 2011.
In Lyari, gang violence persisted for years after Rehman’s demise. The loss of his “Robin Hood” figurehead left a power vacuum; youth mourned him as a protector despite his crimes. Eventually the government mounted Operation Lyari (2012–2013), a massive paramilitary-police crackdown that broke the gangs’ hold on the area. By that time Rehman’s death had long been mythologized: posters of him still adorned Lyari walls and many residents believed the PPP had betrayed him. In the end, Rehman’s legacy was mixed: his PAC briefly quelled petty crime in Lyari, but his rise and fall underscored how criminal bosses and politicians had become entangled a reality that only became apparent to Lyari’s people after his violent end
Sources: Contemporary Pakistani news investigations and reports on Lyari’s gang wars and Rehman Dakait
tribune.com.pk
tribune.com.pk
tribune.com.pk
All dates and events are drawn from these cited sources.
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