DISPOSABLE PAWNS: HOW PAKISTAN EXPLOITS KASHMIRI YOUTH

The killing of Hamza Burhan alias “Doctor” in Muzaffarabad is more than just another terrorist’s death across the border. It is a grim reminder of a harsh and uncomfortable reality that has haunted Kashmir for decades — the systematic exploitation of Kashmiri youth by Pakistan’s terror machinery. Behind slogans propaganda and emotional narratives lies a darker truth. Many young Kashmiris who are pushed toward terrorism ultimately become disposable assets in a larger proxy conflict. Their lives are often shaped by manipulation propaganda and false promises while the real planners of violence remain far away from the suffering and destruction caused in Kashmir.

For years Pakistan and its intelligence-backed networks have attempted to project terrorism in Kashmir as a “cause” driven by ideology sacrifice and emotion. But the stories of many terrorists who crossed into Pakistan or Pakistan-occupied territories tell a very different story. They are recruited radicalised trained armed and used according to strategic needs. Once they are no longer useful many disappear are silenced or die under mysterious circumstances. The same individuals who are once projected as symbols of resistance later become forgotten names whose deaths rarely receive answers.

Hamza Burhan’s story fits disturbingly well into this pattern. Originally from the Ratnipora area of Pulwama Hamza crossed into Pakistan in 2017 reportedly under the pretext of pursuing higher studies. Instead, he joined the terrorist outfit Al-Badr and gradually rose through its ranks. Over time he became involved in terrorist operations linked to Kashmir and eventually India designated him as a terrorist in 2022 because of his extremist activities and cross-border connections. Yet nearly a decade after leaving his homeland Hamza did not die in Kashmir or on any battlefield. He was shot dead in Muzaffarabad by unidentified gunmen. His mysterious killing raises uncomfortable questions about the fate of many terrorists sheltered across the border and about the system that once claimed to protect them.

His death reflects a much larger and deeply troubling reality. Pakistan’s proxy war in Kashmir has repeatedly consumed the very Kashmiri youth it claims to support. For decades vulnerable boys from the Valley have been targeted through emotional propaganda radical narratives online messaging and carefully crafted stories of heroism and martyrdom. Many are manipulated into believing that crossing the border and joining terrorist organisations will give purpose to their lives or bring them honour respect and recognition. Some are emotionally influenced by local grievances while others are trapped through religious extremism social media glorification and psychological pressure created by handlers operating from across the border.

However, the reality awaiting many of these young men is entirely different from the dreams sold to them. Once recruited they become part of a larger machinery controlled by handlers sitting safely across the border. Their lives no longer belong to them. They are trained armed directed and deployed according to strategic calculations that often have little connection with the actual welfare of Kashmiris. The people controlling these networks rarely place themselves in danger. It is the Kashmiri recruit who sacrifices his education his future his family and eventually his life. Many never return home. Some are killed during encounters in Kashmir while others disappear without explanation after crossing into Pakistan or Pakistan-occupied territories.

Over the years several terrorists operating from across the border have reportedly died under mysterious circumstances. Some were shot by unknown attackers while others allegedly became victims of internal rivalries distrust or secretive purges within terrorist circles. Though many of these incidents remain clouded in secrecy a disturbing pattern continues to emerge. The same system that once celebrated these young men often abandons them when they become liabilities or when they possess information that may become inconvenient. Many who crossed into Pakistan believing they had found safety and purpose eventually realised that they were merely tools in a much larger geopolitical game.

This perhaps is the most tragic aspect of the entire cycle. Young Kashmiris are promised glory protection honour and purpose but in reality, many become disposable pawns. Their identities are used for propaganda their deaths become temporary headlines and their families are left behind to suffer in silence. The pain of terrorism is ultimately carried not by the masterminds sitting safely across the border but by ordinary Kashmiri families. A mother in Pulwama loses her son forever. A father spends years wondering whether his child will ever return. Families are forced to live with grief fear uncertainty and social stigma while entire communities grow up surrounded by stories of funerals disappearances and shattered futures.

Meanwhile the architects of terror networks remain comfortably protected far away from the violence they help create. This is why many people in Kashmir increasingly view terrorism not as a path toward empowerment but as a tragic trap that has stolen generations of youth from the Valley. The romanticism once associated with guns has gradually weakened under the weight of reality. The new generation of Kashmiris is beginning to ask different questions and dream different dreams. Instead of crossing borders for violence many now seek opportunities in education careers entrepreneurship sports technology and business.

Across Kashmir today a very different story is emerging. Young students are preparing for competitive examinations and professional careers. Athletes from the Valley are representing India at national and international levels. Tourism is reviving businesses are growing and entrepreneurship is creating new opportunities. Researchers’ digital creators’ artists and innovators are building a new identity for Kashmir beyond conflict and violence. This transformation may still be gradual but it represents a silent and significant shift in the mindset of the younger generation.

Today’s Kashmiri youth increasingly want dignity through opportunity not through destruction. They have seen enough bloodshed to understand that violence rarely delivers what it promises. The tragic endings of many terrorists serve as painful reminders that guns often lead only to graves broken homes and forgotten names. Hamza Burhan’s death in Muzaffarabad is therefore symbolic in many ways. It represents not victory but betrayal. Not empowerment but exploitation. His journey from Pulwama to Pakistan ended not in glory but in mystery isolation and death far away from home.

Perhaps that is the biggest lesson hidden within this story. Pakistan’s long-running proxy strategy in Kashmir has repeatedly used Kashmiri youth as tools for a conflict that continues to devastate families across the region. While slogans and propaganda may change over time the outcome for many young recruits remains painfully similar — isolation violence abandonment and destruction. The tragedy of Kashmir is not only that some young men picked up guns. The greater tragedy is that many were manipulated into believing their lives mattered to people who ultimately viewed them as expendable.

The future of Kashmir cannot be built on this cycle anymore. Its future lies in classrooms instead of camps in books instead of bullets in innovation instead of indoctrination and in hope instead of hatred. Only then can the Valley truly break free from the shadow of exploitation that has consumed generations of its youth.