Dhurandhar script replayed in Pakistan? Years after Bengaluru IISc attack, Amir Hamza bleeds in Lahore street ambush

NEW DELHI: Lashkar-e-Taiba co-founder Amir Hamza had no inkling of what awaited him as he stepped out of the News 24's office in Lahore after a televised appearance alongside Judge Nazir Ahmad Ghazi—only to be confronted moments later by two motorcycle-borne assailants who pulled up with chilling precision and opened fire on his car in a sudden, brazen attack before disappearing into streets.

Hamza survived the attempt but suffered life-threatening injuries in an attack reminiscent of the Bollywood film ‘Dhurandhar 2’, which shows the killing of Zahoor Mistry in Karachi by motorcycle-borne gunmen.He was among the terrorists allegedly involved in the 2005 attack on Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru.

2005 attack on IISc Bengaluru

Among the eight other accused in the case, Habeeb Miya was the only one arrested in 2017. He was later acquitted in June (2021) for lack of prima facie evidence.Charges were earlier framed against Sabahuddin Ahamad, also known as Sabha and Farhan.The court was expected to fix the date for commencement of trial against Ahamad, a resident of Bihar. Ahamad, who was accused No. 1 in the case, was alleged to have facilitated Lashkar-e-Taiba operative Abu Hamza’s entry into and exit from India. While Hamza and six other accused in the case were never arrested, Ahamad was picked up from Nepal in 2008.

He was later produced before a Bengaluru court through video conferencing from Lucknow District Jail.During the hearing, Ahamad did not object to the framing of charges. The charges were read over and explained to him in Hindi and English—languages he claimed to understand—and he pleaded not guilty. Jail officials from Lucknow had coordinated the proceedings.According to the chargesheet, the other accused included Abu Hamza, Mujamil alias Yusuf, Abdul Azeez, Athif, Abubakar, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, Mohammed Habeeb alias Habeeb Miya, and Basheer. At the time the chargesheet was filed in 2008, Ahamad was the only accused arrested, having already been taken into custody by Uttar Pradesh Police in a separate terror case. Lakvi was reportedly convicted in Pakistan on terror financing charges in January (2021).The prosecution had claimed that Ahamad confessed to his role, stating that he and Hamza had carried out the IISc Bengaluru attack in December 2005. He also allegedly named Habeeb Miya as the person who helped him cross the Indian border illegally from Tripura into Bangladesh.

Miya was arrested on March 22, 2017, by the Central Crime Branch, Bengaluru, following which a split charge-sheet was filed in the case.Miya, originally from Agartala and listed as accused No. 7, later moved a discharge petition in 2018, arguing that the prosecution had failed to establish his involvement. He was acquitted by the court on June 14, 2021.According to the prosecution, Ahamad was involved in jihadi activities and had received training from terrorist organisations in Pakistan. He had allegedly met LeT operatives in Dhaka and entered India along with Hamza before the IISc attack. He was accused of entering the IISc campus in Bengaluru and assisting Hamza in carrying out the December 2005 strike before fleeing the scene.

LeT's second most important leader

Hamza is regarded as LeT's second most important leader after its chief Hafiz Saeed, who has been in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Jail since 2019 after getting convicted for several years in terror financing cases. Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML), a political front of Hafiz Saeed’s banned Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD), strongly condemned the attack on Hamza and demanded the immediate arrest of those involved in the incident. The party also urged the government to ensure effective security for “religious scholars”. In a joint statement, PMML leaders, including Hafiz Talha Saeed, said the broad daylight firing incident in Lahore raises serious questions over the Punjab government’s security apparatus and reflects negligence and failure on the part of the authorities. The leaders called on the government to ensure the swift arrest of the attackers and to provide adequate protection to religious scholars. Hamza has been designated as a terrorist by the US. In the past, he served as the head of LeT’s “special campaigns” department. In 2018, Hamza formed a fundraising group for the LeT after the Pakistani government banned JuD and the Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation.