SRINAGAR: Hamza Burhan, an alleged operative linked to the 2019 Pulwama terror attack and associated with the Pakistan-backed militant outfit Al-Badr, was reportedly shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Muzaffarabad IPoK), according to multiple media reports on Thursday.
Media reports said Burhan, originally identified as Arjumand Gulzar Dar of Kharbatpora area of Ratnipora in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, sustained multiple bullet injuries after he was attacked by unidentified assailants.
Burhan had been designated as a terrorist by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in 2022 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
An official notification issued at the time had identified him as “Arjumand Gulzar Dar alias Hamza Burhan alias Doctor,” and described him as an associate of the banned Al-Badr outfit.
According to reports published by India Today, Firstpost, News18 and Daily Excelsior, Burhan had left for Pakistan in 2017 reportedly on the pretext of pursuing higher studies before joining Al-Badr. He was later accused by security agencies of involvement in recruitment, radicalisation and propaganda activities in Kashmir.
The February 14, 2019 Pulwama attack, one of the deadliest attacks on security personnel in Jammu and Kashmir, left 40 CRPF personnel dead after a suicide bomber of proscribe Jaish-e-Mohammed rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a CRPF convoy at Lethpora in Pulwama district.
Security officials quoted in media reports alleged that Burhan played a supporting role in the militant ecosystem during the period of the Pulwama attack and was involved in disseminating propaganda material, including posters, videos and online content aimed at radicalising youth.
The killing comes amid a series of attacks and mysterious deaths involving several militant commanders and operatives in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir over the past few years.
