What was Operation Lyari? Pakistan's longest-running covert operation that inspired Dhurandhar

Between 2012 and 2023, a series of protracted security crackdowns took place to dismantle powerful criminal gangs and restore peace in the volatile Lyari neighbourhood of Karachi, Pakistan. Termed as "Operation Lyari", one of the longest-running covert operations by Pakistani law enforcement and paramilitary forces, primarily the Pakistan Rangers and Sindh Police, ultimately neutralised the criminal syndicate. The upcoming movie, Dhurandhar, headlined by Ranveer Singh, has reportedly taken cues from this real-life incident. 

What was Operation Lyari?

One of Karachi's oldest and most densely populated areas, Lyari, had long been a hub for organised crime, political violence, drug trafficking, and gang warfare. Rehman Dakait and his successor, Uzair Jan Baloch, headed organised crimes, utilising fronts like People's Aman Committee (PAC) to wield influence outside conventional law enforcement. The gangs were heavily armed with weapons, making police operations extremely hazardous. 

The operation was led in multiple phases, with the 2012 operation by the Sindh Police and "encounter specialist" Chaudhry Aslam, who faced fierce resistance and high casualties, which resulted in failure. Between 2013-2014, in a more aggressive and sustained campaign, the federal paramilitary Pakistan Rangers were combating the entrenched criminal networks. In a decade-long operation, a "covert mission" involving intelligence agencies completely neutralised the syndicate. The operation led to a significant decrease in crime rates in the area and Karachi as a whole. It was once ranked among the world's most dangerous cities. In the operation, Rehman Dakait was killed in a police encounter in 2009, while Uzair Jan Baloch was apprehended by Interpol in late 2014 while in Dubai. He is currently incarcerated at Karachi Central Jail. Baba Ladla was killed in a shootout in 2017. 

About movie Dhurandhar

The events of Operation Lyari have reportedly inspired the upcoming Indian film Dhurandhar, directed by Aditya Dhar. The film Ranveer Singh, Arjun Rampal, Akshaye Khanna, R Madhavan and Sanjay Dutt in pivotal roles.