Gang wars: A legacy of bloodshed and betrayal unfolds amidst new murders, allegations

In the year 2003, a song ‘Deewanay’ by the pop band ‘Fusion’ came out. It promoted cross border ties with India featuring their famous film star Urmila Matondkar and Pakistani film star Resham. The song was shot in different cultural and historical locations of Lahore. In one of the scenes Urmila and Resham, wearing the traditional Punjabi ‘dhoti kurta’ in very bright colors enter a ‘akhara’ (arena) a muddy ground for desi wrestling or ‘kushti’, they are shown ptting a lion and then a body builder ‘pehlwan’ referees a friendly match between the two. Then they are seen gushing over a beautifully ornate truck in which they climb into and the song ends with that image. That was my first introduction to one of the main stakeholders of the bloody thirty-year-old gang war of Lahore.

One of the locations for the song was the ‘Dera’ of the Truckanwala group and the referee was a close relative of the famous Billa Truckanwala and his son Tipu Truckanwala. The enmity between the famous Truckanwala group of Shahlam Chowk and Teefi, Gogi Butt started in the beginning of 1993. Their main business was of goods transportation. Ameerudin aka Billa Truckanwala was very influential not only in Lahore but across Punajb. His son, Arif Ameer, better known as Tipu Truckanwala got nominated in a dispute, his father got his name removed and instead got two of his gunmen, Hanif aka Hanifa and Shafiq also known as Baba nominated instead. They received jail time and were imprisoned for about 8 years. As a result, they left his group and joined their enemy group namely, Gogi and Teefi Butt. Later Hanifa and Baba killed Billa Truckanwala as revenge. This murder laid the foundation for the three-decade long enmity between the two groups which has taken multiple lives till date.

The Truckanwala group believed that the Butt group is protecting the murderers of Billa Truckanwala. In 2003, Tipu Truckanwala was attacked outside Aiwan-e-Adal in Lahore. In which five passersby got killed and Tipu sustained serious injuries. An FIR was registered at Islampura Police Station against the Butt group and others including a police Inspector, Abid Boxer. All the main accused fled to Dubai. Later, after getting their protective bails through Sindh High Court, they surrendered. Abid Boxer stayed in jail for a year while Teefi and Gogi were set free.

In 2010, when Tipu Truckanwala reached Lahore airport from Dubai, he was attacked once again in the Airport’s parking lot and this time he did not survive the severe injuries. The main accused, Khurram Ijaz was arrested from the spot and is still in prison serving a life sentence. However, Teefi and Gogi Butt and Malik Ehsaan’s name were again included in the conspiracy for murder.According to sources, Malik Ehsaan made a peace pact with Teepu Truckanwala’s son Ameer Balaaj after which Malik and his followers separated themselves from the Teefi Butt Group.

In 2016, firing took place on the houses of Gogi and Teefi Butt in the areas of Naseerabad and Gawalmandi, as a result, Ameer Balaaj got nominated in the FIR and also got arrested for the same. Sources claim that Ameer Balaaj was tired of this family enmity and wanted peace to prevail, but some people had vested interests in the continuation of this gang war and never fully allowed him to lay the matter at rest.

In the February of 2024, Ameer Balaaj went to attend a friend’s wedding where he got assassinated, feeding fresh blood to this insatiable blood thirst of Lahore’s oldest Gang War. One of Balaaj’s friends, Ahsan Shah was arrested for being an informant about the movement and location of Meer Balaaj. Accused Ahsan Shah was recently killed in an alleged police encounter when he was in police custody. The police claimed that Ahsan’s brother and other members of his gang are involved in his killing.

Soon after Javaid Butt the brother in law of Teefi Butt was shot dead on his way to pick his grandchildren from school, his wife also sustained serious injuries and remains under treatment. Butt used to look after the businesses of Teefi Butt and had been his main support in times of need especially when cases were registered against him in legal matters.

In a recent major development, two out of three shooters Involved in Javaid Butt’s murder have been arrested from Khyber Pakhtun Khwa. In their startling allegation, they have accused Meer Musab, the younger brother of slain Meer Balaj, to have hired them for this murder.

However, two days ago advocate Meer Musab issued his video statement, denying any such allegations and demanding police chief Lahore to assure justice and his safety while offering to surrender. Interestingly, The Deputy Inspector General of Organized Crime Lahore Imran Kishwer was of the view that in the initial investigation, police did not find any evidence of involvement against the nominated accused Meer Fateh who is the youngest brother of Meer Balaj and Meer Masub. Meer Fateh has also released his video statement in denial of any involvement in the recent murder and also expressed his concern regarding his safety and demanded protection from the authorities.

Senior Journalist and ex-President of Lahore press club Azam Chaudhry has been keenly following this case over the past few decades, in his point of view the role of Lahore Police is the most critical yet dubious in furthering this gang war. The division among the Lahore police and their separate loyalties to the two warring gangs has worsened the situation. The murder of Javaid Butt has the potential to reignite the violence in the city which will cause the loss of innocent lives as collateral damage in this unending war of the Titans. Chaudhry believes that a transparent authority handling the arrest and investigation is the only solution for stopping these cold blooded murders that have been shattering the peace and sanctity of Lahore for the last three decades.