SOURCE: AFI
Retired Pakistani Brigadier Amir Hamza was shot and killed by unknown gunmen in Punjab province on Monday, according to Indian news outlet Times of India. Indian counter-terrorism agencies believed Hamza, a key Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) operative, played a significant role in the 2018 Sunjwan army camp attack in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).
The 2018 Sunjwan attack on an Indian army camp resulted in the deaths of six soldiers and injuries to over a dozen more. Hamza’s death marks the second killing of a Pakistani individual allegedly involved in the attack.
Reports from Times of India (TOI) indicate that Hamza’s wife and daughter, who were present in the car with him during the attack, sustained injuries. According to TOI, they informed authorities that Hamza had no personal enmities. Pakistani newspaper Express Tribune adds that Hamza’s brother, following on a motorcycle, witnessed the attack.
Rescue services confirmed Hamza’s death at the scene. Local Pakistani media reports indicate that police are treating the incident as a “blind murder case” and have registered a formal complaint. An investigation into the targeted killing is underway.
Hamza’s final position before retirement was Director General of the Emergency Services Academy. His killing follows a series of deaths of Pakistanis allegedly linked to ISI-backed attacks in India.