Hamza Burhan, one of the masterminds in Pulwama attack, killed in PoK

Hamza Burhan, one of the masterminds behind the Pulwama attack, has reportedly been killed. He was shot dead in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), sources said.

Burhan was one of the key planners behind the Pulwama attack. He is said to have been shot multiple times by unknown assailants in Muzaffarabad in PoK. He died instantly due to multiple gunshots.

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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.”

Also known as Doctor, Hamza was born in the Ratnipora area of Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir. He had left for Pakistan in 2017, stating that he was pursuing his higher studies. However, he went on to join the terror outfit Al Badr and in quick time rose to the rank of commander.

Following his indoctrination into the Al Badr, he came back to Kashmir and later got involved in radicalising the youth and also indoctrinating them into terror groups, with his work remaining largely focused on South Kashmir.

During his stay in Kashmir, Burhan managed to expand his network from Pulwama to Shopian and played a major player for the Pakistan-based terror groups, which carry out operations in Jammu and Kashmir, IANS reported.

Notably, the Pulwama terror attack, which took place on February 14, 2019, was one of the deadliest incidents in India. At that time, a convoy carrying Indian security personnel on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway was targeted in the Lethapora area of Pulwama. A suicide bomber had rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the bus within the convoy, killing 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel.

The attack was carried out by the Jaish-e-Mohammed, while the bomber was later identified as Adil Ahmad Dar. Post that, the Indian Air Force retaliated by striking a Jaish-e-Mohammed training base in Balakot.

Now, Hamza Burhan’s killing in PoK adds to the long list of terrorists being eliminated by unknown gunmen in Pakistan. Recently, Lashkar-e-Taiba operative Farman Ali was shot dead at Muridke.

In April, unknown gunmen killed Sheikh Yousuf Afridi, a Lashkar-e-Taiba commander in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. During the same month, the co-founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Amir Hamza, was shot at by unknown gunmen in Lahore. He, however, survived the shooting.

Earlier this year, Pakistani Army Lieutenant Colonel Imran Dayal, a handler for the Pahalgam terror attack, was gunned down in Dera Ismail Khan.

Also, JeM operative Mushtaq alias Ghazi Baba was killed by unidentified assailants near Peshawar in October last year. In May 2025, Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Razaullah Nizamani alias Abu Saifullah Khalid was shot in Matli, Sindh province.

Pakistan has not released any official statements on these shootings, while investigations remain inconclusive.

The targeting of top commanders and leaders has left terror outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed struggling to regroup.