Key Points

Arjumand Gulzar, alias Burhan Hamza or ‘Doctor’, a designated terrorist and one of the masterminds behind the 2019 Pulwama terror attack that killed 40 CRPF personnel, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on Thursday, 21 May 2026. 

Hamza, who was operating under heavy ISI-vetted security, was ambushed outside a school in Muzaffarabad’s Gojra region. The bike-borne assailants fired multiple rounds at him, and Hamza suffered three gunshots to the head. He was critically injured in the attack and airlifted to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Rawalpindi, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

The assailants managed to escape from the scene before security forces could respond.

See also: From PoK to Balochistan: Rising Uprisings Signal Collapse of Pakistan Army’s grip

Hamza had a long history of anti-India activities and played a key role in pushing youth in Jammu and Kashmir towards militancy and radicalisation. A resident of Ratnipora in Pulwama district, he travelled to Pakistan several years ago, in around 2017, on valid documents and joined the Al-Badr terror outfit. He later rose to become the group’s operational commander, overseeing the recruitment of militants and the supply of weapons into Jammu and Kashmir. He has also allegedly maintained close links with Pakistan’s ISI. 

In 2022, the Indian government designated him as a terrorist. Agencies believe Burhan was one of the main figures responsible for spreading terror in Pulwama and other parts of South Kashmir. He extensively used social media as part of a ‘digital radicalisation’ model to incite and recruit young people.

Security officials say that this recent killing has proved to be a major blow to terror outfits and their activities happening across the border. 

See also: Hydropower, corruption and neglect: Why PoK is rising against Islamabad

What was the 2019 Pulwama Attack?

The Pulwama attack happened on February 14, 2019, wherein a military convoy carrying CRPF personnel was apprehended by a vehicle-borne suicide bomber. The attack, one of the deadliest terrorist attacks on Indian security forces, killed 40 CRPF personnel, in addition to the perpetrator himself. India, in retaliation, launched a series of air strikes on the biggest terror camp of the Jaish-e-Mohammed— the outfit behind the terror attack— in Balakot. 

A larger pattern of killings

Hamza’s death makes a part of the series of killings targeting terrorists leaders that have been marking various regions of Pakistan over the past few years. Several high-profile terrorists, including members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Hizbul Mujahideen, and Khalistani groups have been shot dead, tortured, or killed in recent years by unidentified gunmen, and Pakistani sources frequently attribute these killings to internal gang rivalries. 

Hamza’s killing is strikingly similar to the killing of Amir Hamza, who co-founded the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and a close associate of Hafiz Saeed (founder of terror organization LetT).

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