Pulwama attack mastermind Hamza Burhan shot dead in PoK

New Delhi: Unidentified gunmen on Thursday killed Hamza Burhan, alleged to be one of the masterminds behind the 2019 Pulwama terror attack that killed more than 40 CRPF personnel. Burhan was shot dead by unidentified attackers in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

He was allegedly linked to the Pakistan-backed terror group Al-Badr and worked as an Over Ground Worker (OGW) during the Pulwama attack period, as per reports.

Burhan allegedly played a crucial role in designing and disseminating posters, videos and digital propaganda material that Al-Badr used to radicalise local youth.


Burhan hails from Kharbatpora village in Pulwama's Ratnipora belt and travelled to Pakistan in 2017, ostensibly for higher education, but later joined the banned terror outfit Al Badr, according to reports.

While designating him as a terrorist in 2022, the Indian government had said, "Arjumand Gulzar Dar alias Hamza Burhan alias Doctor, aged 23 years, is a resident of Kharbatpora, Ratnipora, Pulwama, and one of the associate members of Al Badr, a terrorist outfit designated under the UAPA."

Hamza's killing adds to the long list of terrorists being eliminated by unknown gunmen in Pakistan. Such incidents have been on the rise in the past two years. The targeting of top commanders and leaders has left outfits such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed struggling to regroup.