The killing of Burhan has once again brought attention to a growing pattern of unexplained deaths involving militants and senior operatives of Pakistan-based terror groups. Security officials had earlier accused Burhan of playing a key role in the 2019 Pulwama attack, including allegedly supplying explosives and grenades to the attackers. The strike on the CRPF convoy later triggered India’s Balakot air operation, sharply escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.
Investigators also linked him to a grenade attack on CRPF personnel in November 2020. Following increased pressure from security agencies, Burhan is believed to have slipped back into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, where he remained on the radar of multiple intelligence units. Despite sustained tracking efforts, he managed to evade capture for several years.
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His reported killing now adds to what officials and local reports describe as a series of “mysterious” targeted attacks against members of terror outfits such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and Hizbul Mujahideen. In several cases, unidentified gunmen—often described as bike-borne attackers—have been blamed.
Over the past year, several high-profile figures have died under unclear circumstances. These include Amir Hamza of LeT, who was shot in Lahore, and Muhammad Tahir Anwar, the brother of JeM chief Masood Azhar, who died in Pakistan in March. Earlier, Abu Qatal, a senior LeT operative linked to multiple attacks, was also killed in similar circumstances.
Since 2023, at least seven such deaths have been reported within a short span, forming what some observers describe as an emerging and unusual pattern of internal or external targeting of terror operatives.
