In yet another mysterious ‘Dhurandhar’ style attack inside Pakistan, Hamza Burhan, one of the masterminds of the 2019 Pulwama attack in which more than 40 CRPF personnel were martyred, was assassinated by unknown gunmen in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Pulwama attack mastermind killed in ‘Dhurandhar’ style attack
According to reports, Hamza Burhan, originally a native of Pulwama, was gunned down by unidentified attackers in Muzaffarabad. Burhan, whose real name is Arjumand Gulzar Dar, suffered multiple bullet injuries in the assault, and is believed to have succumbed.
The attack on Hamza Burhan, who was designated as a terrorist by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in 2022, bore shocking similarities to the events portrayed in the Ranveer Singh-starrer ‘Dhurandhar’ duology as several dreaded terrorist leaders have been eliminated in a similar fashion over the past few years in Pakistan and PoK.
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Who was Hamza Burhan?
Originally a resident of Kharbatpora in the Ratnipora area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, Arjumand Gulzar Dar, later known as Hamza Burhan, travelled to Pakistan in 2017 under the pretext of pursuing higher studies.
However, in Pakistan, Dar joined the proscribed terrorist outfit Al-Badr and assumed the nom de guerre ‘Hamza Burhan, as he rose to the rank of commander in the group.
Burhan later to Kashmir where he expanded Al-Badr’s network from his native Pulwama to nearby Shopian in southern Kashmir and was reportedly involved in the radicalisation and indoctrination of local youth.
Reports suggest that young men who were in touch with Hamza Burhan often ended up joining militant outfits, according to testimonies of several families in Pulwama whose children fell prey to Burhan’s indoctrination and slipped towards terrorism.
What role did Hamza Burhan play in Pulwama attack?
According to Indian security agencies investigating the 2019 Pulwama attack, Hamza Burhan played a key role in providing explosives and grenades to the terrorists who carried out the dastardly bombing on February 14, 2019.
Following the attack, agencies launched a manhunt to nab Burhan, but he managed to flee to PoK, they said, adding that the wanted terrorist is believed to have orchestrated several terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, including a grenade attack on CRPF personnel on November 18, 2020.
2019 Pulwama Attack
On February 14, 2019, a Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) terrorist drove an explosives-laden car into a CRPF convoy at Lethpora in Pulwama district, leaving 40 personnel dead in what is considered the deadliest attack on security personnel in India.
Days after the diabolic attack, the Indian Air Force (IAF) carried out surgical strikes on terror targets in Balakot, bringing the two countries on the brink of an all-out war.
First published on: May 21, 2026 04:50 PM IST
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