New Delhi, May 21 (IANS): Hamza Burhan, also known as Doctor, one of the key planners behind the deadly 2019 Pulwama terror attack, was shot dead by unknown gunmen in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, dying instantly after being hit by multiple gunshots. Designated as a terrorist by the Indian government in 2022 under the UAPA as an associate member of Al Badr, Burhan was born in the Ratnipora area of Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir and had left for Pakistan in 2017 under the pretext of pursuing higher studies before joining the terror outfit and rising to the rank of commander. During his stay in Kashmir, he was involved in radicalising youth, indoctrinating them into terror groups, and had expanded his network from Pulwama to Shopian, making him a key player for Pakistan-based terror groups carrying out operations in Jammu and Kashmir. His killing deals a major blow to terror networks in Pakistan, coming in the backdrop of the February 14, 2019 Pulwama attack in which a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a CRPF convoy on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, killing 40 personnel.
Burhan’s death adds to a growing list of terrorists being eliminated by unknown gunmen in Pakistan in recent times. In May this year, Lashkar-e-Taiba operative Farman Ali was shot dead at Muridke, while in April, Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Sheikh Yousuf Afridi was killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and co-founder Amir Hamza survived a shooting in Lahore. In January, Pakistani Army Lieutenant Colonel Imran Dayal, a handler for the Pahalgam terror attack, was gunned down in Dera Ismail Khan, while Jaish-e-Mohammed operative Mushtaq alias Ghazi Baba was shot dead near Peshawar in October 2025. Pakistan has not released official statements on these shootings and investigations remain inconclusive, but Indian agencies have noted that such killings have demoralised terror outfits including Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, leading to reduced recruitments and leaving both groups – hit hardest by Operation Sindoor – struggling to revive and reset operations in Jammu and Kashmir.