Accused Pulwama plotter Hamza Burhan killed in shooting in Muzaffarabad

A key individual accused of involvement in the 2019 Pulwama terror attack was killed in a shooting in Muzaffarabad, located in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The victim, identified as Hamza Burhan, also known as Arjumand Gulzar Dar, died on the spot after being attacked by unidentified gunmen, according to reports. Authorities have not issued an official statement regarding the attackers or a motive.

Burhan, originally from the Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, had been living in Pakistan since 2017. In 2022, India’s Ministry of Home Affairs officially designated him as a terrorist. He was described as an associate member of the banned group Al-Badr and was accused of radicalizing youth and expanding militant networks in South Kashmir, particularly in Pulwama and Shopian.

He is alleged to have played a significant role in planning the Pulwama attack on February 14, 2019. In that incident, a suicide bomber driving an explosives-laden vehicle rammed into a convoy of India’s Central Reserve Police Force on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, killing 40 personnel. The Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed responsibility for the attack, which triggered a major...