NEW DELHI: Slain terror commander Hamza Burhan was buried in Rawalpindi on Friday morning in the presence of several top terror chiefs including Hizbul chief Syed Salahuddin and Al Badr head Zameen Bakht besides ISI officials, as shown by visuals uploaded by locals on social media sites.
Arrest Made in Connection with Shooting
The Pakistani police also announced the arrest of one of the shooters, a local from Nawababad in Rawalpindi who allegedly carried out a recce before the shooting. Sources said the shooter was staying at a hotel near the Allama Iqbal Memorial School where Burhan worked as a principal, using it as cover.
ISI Involvement and Security Details
Last year, ISI had provided Hamza with two armed bodyguards following inputs that he faced threats. The Pakistani police told local media that Hamza had gone to meet two unknown visitors just outside his school, leaving the bodyguards behind. The shooters ambushed him when he was returning inside.
Background of Hamza Burhan
Hamza, whose real name is Arjumand Gulzar Dar, was a designated terrorist and one of the key masterminds behind the devastating 2019 Pulwama terror attack. He was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on Thursday. The 27-year-old Al-Badr commander was ambushed and killed on the spot outside a college in Gojra, Muzaffarabad. He sustained three gunshots to the head and was killed instantly. ISI desperately tried to revive Hamza by airlifting him to a military hospital, but he could not be resuscitated.
Role in Al Badr and Recruitment
Sources said that Hamza was running multiple terror launchpads and was responsible for relaunching a fading Al Badr several years ago. It was in 2018 that Al-Badr had aggressively started recruiting Masood Azhar's old cadres from Jaish-e-Mohammed by holding rallies in Dir and other areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This followed the killing of its top commander Muzaffar Naikoo in 2017 and Zeenal-Ul-Islam being assigned the head of the outfit. Islam had defected from Lashkar-e-Taiba but was killed by security forces after a brief stint, leading to Burhan Hamza being appointed the commander of Al Badr in the Kashmir Valley.
Personal Life and Aftermath
A native of Ratnipora village in Pulwama district of Kashmir, Hamza had called for a big revival of the outfit in a video message at the time. He subsequently fled to Pakistan where he was rehabilitated as the principal of a school in Muzaffarabad. He was also married to a local woman with whom he had a son. His killing has now left a big void which the ISI is desperately seeking to fill.
About the Author: Raj Shekhar Jha is a journalist for the Times of India with over a decade of experience in reporting on national security, terrorism, crime, and prisons.
