From ‘Kashmiri Muhajir’ to ‘Principal’, what is Pakistani media saying about Pulwama terror attack mastermind Hamza Burhan?

Pakistan Media on Terrorist Hamza Burhan Shot Dead In PoK: In Muzaffarabad of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) terrorist hamza burhan He was shot dead by unknown assailants outside his college. According to reports by local media (such as BBC Urdu) and security agencies, Hamza Burhan was fired upon in front of the college in Gojra area when he was coming out of the college. He was hit by three bullets in his head and died during treatment in the hospital.

According to the statement of Pakistani Police (DSP Ishtiaq Gilani), immediately after the incident, with the help of local people, a suspected attacker was caught, whose name is said to be Abdullah Kamal. He is a resident of Wah Cantt of Punjab province of Pakistan. Meanwhile, according to Pakistani media reports, Hamza Burhan is originally from the Indian Union Territory. Jammu and Kashmir He was a resident of Andhra Pradesh and had come there after migrating. He was living his life there as a teacher and principal, hiding his terrorist identity.

What did the Indian media say?

According to Indian security agencies and media, Hamza Burhan (real name Arjumand Gulzar Dar) was the main conspirator of the 2019 Pulwama terror attack and the top commander of the terrorist organization ‘Al-Badr’. The Home Ministry of the Government of India had officially declared him a terrorist in the year 2022. Indian media is linking this incident to the series of mysterious attacks (action of unknown attackers) on anti-India terrorists hiding in Pakistan. In some initial inputs, it is also being described as a gang war related to money dispute.

What is Pakistani media saying on the death of Hamza Burhan?

The murder of Hamza Burhan (Arjumand Gulzar Dar) in Muzaffarabad (PoK) has been reported by Dawn, ARY News and other Pakistani media outlets as a ‘private college principal’ and ‘local teacher’. Pakistani media has completely hidden the claims of any ‘terrorist connection’ or ‘Pulwama attack’ in this incident and has presented it as a criminal act and target killing.

1. Dawn’s reporting – personal rivalry and criminal angle

In its report, Dawn has described the incident as primarily an administrative and local law and order matter. The newspaper wrote that the principal of a private school/college was attacked by unknown motorcycle riders in Gojra area of ​​Muzaffarabad. Dawn gave prominence to the statements of the Muzaffarabad Police (Counter Terrorism Department – CTD), which said that due to the promptness of the local people, a suspected attacker, Abdullah Kamal, was arrested from the spot along with a weapon. The newspaper has written about the investigation into a mutual dispute or personal rivalry rather than any big conspiracy behind the murder.

2. Stand of ARY News and Express Tribune – Questions on target killing and security arrangements

ARY News broadcast it as ‘target killing’ which took place in broad daylight in Muzaffarabad. The channel expressed concern over how an outside attacker (a resident of Wah Cantt, Pakistani Punjab) entered the sensitive area of ​​PoK with weapons. These outlets described Hamza Burhan only as ‘a Kashmiri Muhajir (refugee)’ and a ‘teacher’ who was teaching children there. There was no mention on these media channels of Indian security agencies calling him the commander of ‘Al-Badr’ or the conspirator of Pulwama.

3. Other Pakistani and local media outlets (e.g. Geo News, Geo TV)

• According to local media reports, Hamza was hit by three bullets in his head, after which he was put on a ventilator at Sheikh Zayed Hospital (AIMS) where he died.
• Some Pakistani journalists and local news portals reported that due to law and order and security reasons, he was laid to rest near Fatima School in Islamabad instead of Muzaffarabad.
• There is also a buzz in the Pakistani media that in the last few months, many Kashmiris and religious activists (whom India calls terrorists) have become victims of ‘unknown attackers’ in different parts of Pakistan, which they are considering as a serious lapse in the internal security of the country.

Pakistani media vs Indian media difference

What is said in the FIR of Muzaffarabad Police?

• According to the Muzaffarabad Police FIR, the attack took place in the early morning just outside a private college (where Hamza Burhan was working as the principal) in Gojra area.
• According to the statements of eyewitnesses recorded in the FIR, the attackers were sitting in ambush. As soon as Hamza Burhan came out of the college building, bullets were fired indiscriminately from very close range. There were three bullets in his head.
• Hamza was taken to the nearby Sheikh Zayed Hospital (AIMS) in a very critical condition, where he was put on a ventilator, but he died due to excessive bleeding and severe head injuries.
• Considering it a planned murder, the police have registered a case under serious sections of the Anti-Terrorist Act (ATA) and murder of the Local Penal Code.

Attacker Abdullah Kamal arrested

Hearing the sound of firing, the college staff and local people showed promptness. The attacker was trying to escape on a motorcycle after committing the crime, but the local people surrounded him, caught him and handed him over to the police. Muzaffarabad Police have also recovered the pistol/weapon used in the murder and live cartridges from the arrested accused on the spot.

Early confession and contradiction

In the initial police interrogation, the accused has tried to describe it as a matter of personal dispute and money transaction (gang war or mutual enmity). However, police and intelligence agencies are not completely believing in this theory. Investigators are probing deeply why a shooter from Punjab came so far to target a college principal from Muzaffarabad.

The agencies are looking at it from the angle of a professional ‘contract killing’ or ‘target killing’, behind which there could be a big network or mastermind. Pakistani security agencies (CTD) are currently taking accused Abdullah Kamal on remand and trying to find out who provided him funding and weapons for this murder.