Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], May 23 (ANI): Association of Terror Victims in Kashmir (ATVK) Chairperson Tasleema Akhter on Saturday said the reported killing of alleged Pulwama terror attack mastermind and Al-Badr commander Hamza Burhan in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) had brought relief to families affected by terrorism and helped curb radicalisation.

Speaking on the reported killing of Al-Badr commander Hamza Burhan by unknown gunmen in PoK, Akhter informed that Hamza Burhan was killed in PoK on Thursday and said that the development had exposed his identity as a militant commander and not a civilian.

Arjumand Gulzar Dar, also known as Hamzah Burhan, was the principal and managing director of a private school operating from a rented building along Muzaffarabad's Western Bypass, where he was attacked on Thursday, as reported by The Dawn.

'The entire world has come to know that Al-Badr Commander Hamza Burhan was killed in PoK yesterday. Several people in Kashmir are now safe from radicalisation. I think Pulwama victims have received justice,' she told ANI.

Akhter alleged that Pakistan functioned as a 'terror industry' and said terrorism only spread violence, fear and destruction across the world.

'Pakistan is a terror industry. The entire world has come to know that Hamza Burhan was not a civilian but an Al-Badr Commander. The entire world has come to know that terrorism brings destruction to the entire world. It is a gun which only has terror, fear and bloodshed,' she said.

Expressing relief over the development, Akhter further said the families of Pulwama attack victims must have found some closure. 'We want to keep our people away from this. I think the victim's families must have breathed a sigh of relief now,' Akhter added.

Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district witnessed one of the deadliest terror attacks on February 14, 2019, when 40 CRPF personnel were killed after their convoy was targeted on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.

The convoy comprised 78 buses carrying around 2,500 personnel travelling from Jammu to Srinagar at the time of the attack.

Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that it was carried out by a suicide bomber, according to a local news agency.

In response, India launched counter-terror operations, including airstrikes on terror camps in Pakistan, marking a major escalation in tensions between the two countries.

The Pulwama terror attack not only triggered heightened tensions between India and Pakistan but also led to global discussions about cross-border terrorism and security in Jammu and Kashmir. It is marked as the 'Black Day' to remember the 40 brave CRPF soldiers who laid down their lives in the attack. (ANI)