Pulwama attack linked terror operative shot at in PoK
A key figure linked to the 2019 Pulwama attack, which killed 40 CRPF jawans, was attacked by unidentified assailants in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on Thursday. Arjumand Gulzar Dar, also known as Hamza Burhan or ‘Doctor’, was shot at by unidentified assailants outside AIMS Higher Secondary School in the Gojra area of Muzaffarabad, sending shockwaves through security circles in India and Pakistan.
A commander of Al-Badr and a native of Kharbatpora in Ratnipora, Pulwama district, Burhan sustained multiple bullet injuries. He is currently alive and hospitalised at CMH, Muzaffarabad. Sources said Hamza Burhan was shot at around 1.40 pm. Local police initially declared him dead and moved his body to AJK Medical College for the autopsy. However, doctors discovered that he was still alive and breathing. He sustained two bullets in the head and underwent surgery. However, his condition remains highly critical.
Local sources described the attack as similar to other recent targeted attacks on terrorists in the region. Born around 1999, Burhan entered Pakistan legally and rose to become a division commander of Al-Badr. In April 2022, India designated him a terrorist under the UAPA for promoting violence in Kashmir and recruiting for the Al-Badr terrorist organisation outfit.
Burhan operated from safe havens in PoK and Pakistan, coordinating logistics, funding, and radicalisation networks. Intelligence sources also described him as running media operations for RS TV. Al-Badr, headquartered in Mansehra, has camps in Muzaffarabad and Kotli, and a historic presence in South Kashmir, including Pulwama and Srinagar.
Burhan was not among the 19 main suspects formally charged in the NIA’s Pulwama case, but his actions showed how cross-border networks kept terrorism going in Kashmir after 2019. Indian agencies linked him to recruitment and low-level attacks after 2019.
The attack has similarities to other attacks on terrorists in Pakistan: targeted and leaving no clear evidence. Recent examples include drive-by shootings of LeT members. There is speculation about possible rivalries between groups such as Al-Badr, JeM, and LeT over money, recruits, or influence in PoK. Prominent terrorists have been targeted in Pakistan, reportedly to address external pressure or internal disputes.
Indian sources have suggested that covert operations by external actors may be involved.
The attack on Burhan is seen as a setback to the infrastructure supporting terrorism in J&K. Since the abrogation of Article 370, security forces have dismantled several terror modules, but individuals such as Burhan continued to operate.
