Top Pakistan-based terrorists attend Al-Badr commander Hamza Burhan’s funeral in Islamabad

Several Pakistan-based terrorists, including Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin and Al-Badr chief Bakht Zameen Khan, attended the funeral of slain Al-Badr commander Hamza Burhan in Islamabad on Friday. Burhan, also known as Arjumand Gulzar Dar and codenamed “Doctor”, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir a day earlier. Videos and photographs circulating on social media showed heavy security arrangements and armed personnel at the funeral gathering.

According to available information, Burhan was buried in Islamabad after being killed near a private college in Muzaffarabad, where he had reportedly been living under a different identity. Pakistani police said unidentified attackers opened fire on him at close range when he stepped out of the college premises on Thursday morning. He sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the head and later died at a hospital. Police claimed one suspect had been arrested and a weapon recovered.

Visuals from the funeral showed several armed men carrying automatic rifles surrounding senior terrorist leaders attending the gathering. Security arrangements around Bakht Zameen Khan drew particular attention amid recent targeted killings of terrorist operatives in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Officials and local sources indicated that fears of further attacks have increased following multiple unexplained killings of wanted terrorists over the past few years.

Burhan, a resident of Ratnipora in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district, had reportedly travelled to Pakistan using valid documents before joining the banned Al-Badr outfit. His name surfaced in connection with the 2019 Pulwama terror attack that killed more than 40 CRPF personnel. Indian authorities designated him a terrorist in 2022. Security agencies alleged that he played a role in radicalising youth, recruiting operatives and arranging terror funding linked to activities in Jammu and Kashmir.

The funeral gathering also renewed focus on allegations regarding the presence and activities of banned terrorist organisations operating from Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Separate visuals from the event allegedly showed the presence of individuals linked to Pakistan’s intelligence establishment. Over recent years, several internationally designated terrorists and extremist operatives have been reported killed under unexplained circumstances in Pakistan and PoK, including members linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hizbul Mujahideen and Al-Badr.