Arjumand Gulzar Dar, popularly known as “Hamza Burhan” or “Doctor,” was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Designated a terrorist by India under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in 2022, Dar was a top operational commander of the banned outfit Al-Badr and a key logistical mastermind behind the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing that killed 40 Indian Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel.
While local authorities in PoK have launched an investigation into the shooting, Indian intelligence circles view his death as a major blow to cross-border operational networks, whereas Pakistani state structures remain silent on the targeted execution of an operative on their territory.
From Student to Terror Commander
Arjumand Gulzar Dar’s transformation from an ordinary student to a highly ranked militant leader follows a troubling blueprint observed among radicalised youth in South Kashmir over the last decade.
Originally a resident of the Kharbatpora area in Ratnipora, located within Jammu & Kashmir’s Pulwama district, Dar left for Pakistan in 2017. He crossed the border legally using valid transit documents under the public pretext of pursuing higher education. It was this academic cover that later earned him the inner-circle moniker “Doctor.”
Instead of completing his studies, Dar fully integrated into the operational infrastructure of the Al-Badr militant group. Showing an aptitude for setting up secure communication loops and cross-border supply chains, he rose quickly through the ranks to become the group’s operational commander. In this role, he took charge of recruiting local youth and smuggling weapons across the border.
Directing the Shadows of the Pulwama Massacre
On 14 February 2019, a local suicide bomber drove an explosive-laden vehicle into a security convoy at Lethpora in Pulwama. The resulting blast martyred 40 CRPF personnel and brought India and Pakistan to the brink of full-scale military conflict.
While the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) outfit claimed operational responsibility, multi-agency investigations later mapped out a collaborative network involving multiple militant factions. Operating from safe houses in Pakistan and PoK, Dar utilised his intimate knowledge of Pulwama’s local geography to handle critical logistics for the attack. Investigators established that he acted as a vital conduit coordinating over-ground workers, managing illicit funding channels, and using virtual applications to direct local executioners without exposing the core leadership.
The Digital Radicalisation Model
Following the Pulwama tragedy, Dar transitioned into a remote handler, pioneering a “digital radicalisation” model. Rather than risking direct physical infiltration, he used encrypted social media platforms and virtual apps to connect with impressionable youth in South Kashmir.
Official security dossiers including regional police filings such as FIR No. 294/2021 in Shopian reveal how Dar remotely masterminded local operations from Pakistan. His network specialised in routing Chinese pistol magazines, hand grenades, and large sums of cash through courier systems to fund hit-and-run strikes on non-local workers and security personnel. This persistent threat profile led the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to officially designate him a terrorist in April 2022.
A Familiar Pattern of Mysterious Eliminations
The fatal shooting of Hamza Burhan in Muzaffarabad is not an isolated incident, but rather part of an ongoing geopolitical phenomenon. Over the past few years, a successive wave of high-profile, India-wanted operatives residing in Pakistan have met identical ends at the hands of “unknown gunmen.”
Notable figures like Paramjit Singh Panjwar, chief of the Khalistan Commando Force, who was gunned down in Lahore, and Shahid Latif, a key handler in the Pathankot attack who was shot inside a mosque in Sialkot, highlight this recurring trend.
While local police in Muzaffarabad have cordoned off the area of Dar’s shooting to launch an investigation, historical precedents indicate that the exact actors and intelligence agencies driving these clinical street executions are unlikely to ever be formally identified or acknowledged.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
The violent end of Arjumand Gulzar Dar closes a dark chapter for the families of the 40 CRPF personnel who lost their lives in the horrific Pulwama attack. However, while the removal of a terror mastermind deals a blow to insurgent networks, the cycle of shadow assassinations and lawless violence cannot serve as a permanent substitute for a stable, transparent justice system.
True peace, harmony, and coexistence in the subcontinent can only be achieved when democratic institutions and international laws are upheld, rather than subverted by covert street warfare. To break the cycle of radicalisation, we must foster environments of empathy, education, and positive social change that stop young minds from being led down the path of hate in the first place. Violence only begets more violence, and long-term security relies on addressing the root causes of conflict through robust dialogue and legal accountability.
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🚨 BREAKING: PULWAMA MASTERMIND EX€CUTED
— Masked Man (@MaskedMan1947) May 21, 2026
Hamza Burhan – the man accused of orchestrating the 2019 Pulwama massacre that killed 40 CRPF jawans has been sh0t dead by unknown gunmen.
The Pulwama terror recruiter is no more.
Justice, delivered in the shadows. pic.twitter.com/saZzbVR2TX
