Alleged Pulwama plotter Hamza Burhan gunned down in Muzaffarabad
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New Delhi: Hamza Burhan, identified by Indian authorities as a key planner of the 2019 Pulwama attack, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), officials said. Reports said he died instantly after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds.
The Indian government designated Arjumand Gulzar Dar, also known as Hamza Burhan or “Doctor”, as a terrorist in 2022. It said he was a resident of Kharbatpora, Ratnipora in Pulwama, and an associate member of Al Badr, a proscribed organisation under the UAPA.
Born in Ratnipora, Pulwama, Hamza travelled to Pakistan in 2017 claiming to pursue higher studies but is reported to have joined Al Badr and risen rapidly to the rank of commander. After his indoctrination, he returned to Kashmir, where he was accused of radicalising youth and recruiting them into militant groups, with his activities concentrated in South Kashmir and extending from Pulwama to Shopian.
Indian agencies said his death is a significant setback for Pakistan based terror networks that orchestrate strikes in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Pulwama attack on 14 February 2019 was among the deadliest in recent memory: a suicide bomber from Jaish e Mohammed rammed an explosive laden vehicle into a convoy of Central Reserve Police Force personnel in Lethapora, killing 40 troopers. The Indian Air Force subsequently struck a Jaish training camp in Balakot.
Hamza’s killing follows a string of apparent targeted shootings of militant figures in Pakistan. In May, Lashkar e Taiba operative Farman Ali was shot dead in Muridke; in April, Lashkar commander Sheikh Yousuf Afridi was killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Lashkar co founder Amir Hamza was shot at in Lahore but survived. Other deaths in recent months include suspected operatives and handlers in Dera Ismail Khan and near Peshawar.
Pakistan has not issued official statements on many of these incidents, and investigations have frequently been inconclusive. Analysts say such targeting over the past two years has disrupted leadership structures in groups such as Lashkar e Taiba and Jaish e Mohammed, complicating their efforts to regroup and recruit following Indian operations like Operation Sindoor.
(Inputs from IANS)