NEW DELHI: Amir Hamza, a former Pakistan Army brigadier and ISI key figure, was killed by unidentified gunmen in Pakistan’s Punjab late on Monday. Hamza was known to counterterrorism agencies for his involvement in ISI-orchestrated operations against India and was believed to be one of the masterminds of the 2018 attack on the Sunjwan army base in Jammu and Kashmir, which left six soldiers dead and more than a dozen injured.
He is the second Pakistani killed in connection with the Seungjuwan attack. Last November, another suspected main planner, FLF commander Khwaja Shahid (aka Mir Mujahid), was found decapitated near the Line of Control in Pakistan’s Oklahoma state. Hamza’s injured wife and daughter, who were in the car with him, told police that the gunmen did not take any of their belongings.
Hamza’s wife and daughter, who were injured and were passengers in the car with him, said police stressed that the slain ISI man had no personal animosity towards anyone. Pakistani police have said it was a targeted killing.
The attack took place in Punjab’s Jhelum district. Hamza’s car was ambushed by four unidentified men on a motorbike. Pakistani media reported that when the car reached Lila Interchange in Jhelum, a group of four men on two motorbikes cornered Hamza from both sides. Jhelum police said the passengers began firing indiscriminately, making sure their target was dead before fleeing the scene.
According to Pakistan’s Express Tribune newspaper, Hamza’s brother Ayub witnessed the attack and was following his brother’s car on a motorbike when it happened. He has also filed a complaint but is under police surveillance. Rescue 1122 service rushed to the scene and confirmed that the retired brigadier was killed at the scene and his wife and daughter were injured. “We are investigating this as a ‘blind murder case’. We have registered a case and a targeted attack investigation is underway,” Pakistan Police told local media. Hamza held key supervisory positions until his retirement. His last position was as Director General of the Emergency Services Academy (1122).
This is the latest killing of a Pakistani in connection with an ISI-launched terror attack in India. In April, Amir Sarfaraz, a key ISI operative and highly guarded man, was killed by unknown gunmen in Lahore. Unidentified men also shot dead Adnan Ahmed, also known as Abu Hanzala, a top Lashkar-e-Toiba commander who had masterminded a series of attacks on security forces in the Valley over the years, in Karachi in December. Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist Shahid Latif, the top commander of the fidayeen forces that attacked the Pathankot airbase in 2016, was shot dead by unknown assailants at a mosque in Sialkot in October.
He is the second Pakistani killed in connection with the Seungjuwan attack. Last November, another suspected main planner, FLF commander Khwaja Shahid (aka Mir Mujahid), was found decapitated near the Line of Control in Pakistan’s Oklahoma state. Hamza’s injured wife and daughter, who were in the car with him, told police that the gunmen did not take any of their belongings.
Hamza’s wife and daughter, who were injured and were passengers in the car with him, said police stressed that the slain ISI man had no personal animosity towards anyone. Pakistani police have said it was a targeted killing.
The attack took place in Punjab’s Jhelum district. Hamza’s car was ambushed by four unidentified men on a motorbike. Pakistani media reported that when the car reached Lila Interchange in Jhelum, a group of four men on two motorbikes cornered Hamza from both sides. Jhelum police said the passengers began firing indiscriminately, making sure their target was dead before fleeing the scene.
According to Pakistan’s Express Tribune newspaper, Hamza’s brother Ayub witnessed the attack and was following his brother’s car on a motorbike when it happened. He has also filed a complaint but is under police surveillance. Rescue 1122 service rushed to the scene and confirmed that the retired brigadier was killed at the scene and his wife and daughter were injured. “We are investigating this as a ‘blind murder case’. We have registered a case and a targeted attack investigation is underway,” Pakistan Police told local media. Hamza held key supervisory positions until his retirement. His last position was as Director General of the Emergency Services Academy (1122).
This is the latest killing of a Pakistani in connection with an ISI-launched terror attack in India. In April, Amir Sarfaraz, a key ISI operative and highly guarded man, was killed by unknown gunmen in Lahore. Unidentified men also shot dead Adnan Ahmed, also known as Abu Hanzala, a top Lashkar-e-Toiba commander who had masterminded a series of attacks on security forces in the Valley over the years, in Karachi in December. Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist Shahid Latif, the top commander of the fidayeen forces that attacked the Pathankot airbase in 2016, was shot dead by unknown assailants at a mosque in Sialkot in October.
