Lahore: Hamza Burhan, one of the masterminds of the 2019 Pulwama attack, was killed by unknown gunmen in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK).
Burhan, whose original name is Arjumand Gulzar Dar, succumbed to multiple bullet injuries after being attacked in Muzaffarabad by unidentified assailants.
In the deadliest attack on security personnel in India, a Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) terrorist rammed an explosives-laden car into a convoy, killing 40 CRPF personnel on February 14, 2019.
The Union Home Ministry designated Burhan, known as ‘Doctor’, as a terrorist in 2022.
Burhan, born in Kharbatpora in Pulwama’s Ratnipora area, left for Pakistan in 2017 to apparently pursue higher studies. He, however, joined banned terror outfit Al-Badr where he became a commander.
After returning to Jammu & Kashmir, Burhan focused on radicalising the youth and indoctrinating them. His network extended from Pulwama to Shopian in south Kashmir.
Beside Pulwama, he was linked to several other terror-related activities in Jammu & Kashmir.
According to Indian security agencies, Burhan provided explosives and grenades to the terrorists who actually carried out the Pulwama attack.
In November 2020, Burhan was found to be involved in the grenade attack on CRPF personnel, leading to a massive manhunt. At that time, Burhan managed to escape to PoK.
As his luck finally ran out, questions are being raised in Pakistan over a series of mysterious attacks targeting terrorists belonging to groups such as JeM, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and Hizbul Mujahideen.
Last month, founding member of LeT Amir Hamza was gunned down by unknown bike-borne assailants in Lahore. In March, Muhammad Tahir Anwar, JeM chief Masood Azhar’s elder brother died under mysterious circumstances.
