Hamza Burhan, identified as one of the masterminds behind the 2019 Pulwama terror attack, was reportedly shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir’s Muzaffarabad on Wednesday, according to multiple media reports.
Burhan, also known by the alias “Doctor,” was allegedly attacked outside his office in Muzaffarabad and sustained multiple bullet injuries. The identity of the attackers and the motive behind the killing remain unclear. Pakistani authorities have not yet issued an official statement on the incident.
The 2019 Pulwama attack, one of the deadliest terror strikes in Jammu and Kashmir, killed 40 CRPF personnel after a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a convoy on the Jammu-Srinagar highway. The attack was claimed by Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed and triggered a massive escalation in India-Pakistan tensions.
According to reports, Hamza Burhan was originally from Pulwama’s Ratnipora area and had crossed over to Pakistan in 2017, reportedly under the pretext of pursuing higher education. Indian agencies later alleged that he joined the banned terror outfit Al-Badr and played a major role in radicalising and recruiting Kashmiri youth.
The Union Home Ministry had designated Burhan as a terrorist in 2022. Intelligence agencies had linked him to cross-border terror operations and recruitment activities in South Kashmir, particularly in Pulwama and Shopian districts.
The killing has once again drawn attention to a series of mysterious assassinations of terror-linked figures inside Pakistan and PoK over the last few years. While speculation has intensified online, there has been no official confirmation regarding who carried out the attack on Burhan.
One report described the incident as “unknown men at work again in Pakistan,” reflecting the growing pattern of unexplained killings involving extremist operatives in the region.
