Fog rolled over the cemetery grounds as swathes of armed men formed a tight cordon around the casket. Armoured vehicles crept in, and a low hum buzzed through the air; the scene looked like a movie set more than a funeral.
Hamza Burhan—known to the police as Arjumand Gulzar Dar, the “Doctor” of Al‑Badr—had been the mastermind behind a sprawling terror network in Jammu and Kashmir. Indian agents had lured him into a sting that ended with gunfire from unknown assailants in Pakistan‑occupied Kashmir. He never got the chance to walk the last steps of his own life; instead, his coffin was carried into Islamabad the next day.
At the graveside, the most shocking moment was catching the familiar faces of two other wanted men. Syed Sallahudin, the chief of Hizbul Mujahideen and a name on the U.S. blacklist, huddled beside Bakht Zameen Khan, the Al‑Badr chief who had headed the same organization that dragged Burhan. Their presence was unmistakable—masks, gear, and guarded expressions that spoke volumes.
Truth is, the fighting police cars outside were not there to keep the dead to themselves. At the edge of the ground, a squad of men lugged iron‑clad AK‑47s, rifles, and layered body armor. Any hint of ordinary mourners faded against the stitched red of terror uniforms, almost turning the funeral into a silent parade of danger.
Meanwhile, officials insisted that no official Pakistani security shed light on the event. Yet the sheer number of armed men left no doubt about a local network that could even orchestrate coordinated attacks. The visual evidence shows a meticulous set‑up: a narrow path blocked by men in full gear, a silent bellow of gunfire in the distance, and the chilling gesture of men who do not yet feel the weight of a funeral.
Still, the question arises: what does this mean for Islamabad’s claim of being a neutral ground? If three men who have terrorised across borders can gather under the same roof, one wonders how many loose ends remain in a country that has repeatedly allowed such figures to reside.
And yet a new twist perhaps lies ahead: could this gathering spark a new wave of violence or force a political conversation that hitherto was ignored? The answer remains out of reach, but one thing is clear—Pakistan’s role as a haven for international terror is no longer a rumor.
