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Days after Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) announced the formation of its first-ever women’s wing, 'Jamaat-ul-Mominaat', sources told on Wednesday that the group has now launched an online training programme named 'Tufat al-Muminat' to collect funds and recruit as many women as possible.
According to sources, this women’s brigade will be led by Sadiya Azhar, the sister of JeM chief Masood Azhar. Her husband, Yusuf Azhar, was killed in Operation Sindoor on May 7 when Indian forces targeted JeM’s headquarters at Markaz Subhanallah.
“To strengthen the organisation and recruit more females, the women family members of Jaish-e-Mohammed’s leaders, including relatives of Masood Azhar and his commanders, will teach women their duties from the perspectives of jihad, religion and Islam,” said sources.
According to people aware of the development, the recruitment drive through online live lectures is set to begin on November 8.
“Through online meeting platforms for 40 minutes each day, Masood Azhar’s two sisters, Sadiya Azhar and Samaira Azhar, will conduct classes to encourage women to join Jaish-e-Mohammed’s female brigade Jamaat-ul-Mominaat,” sources added.
The headquarters of terror outfits such as JeM, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen were destroyed by Indian airstrikes during Operation Sindoor, which was carried out in retaliation to the Pahalgam attack.
Since then, these groups have reportedly relocated their bases to Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province to evade further Indian strikes.
Top leaders of these terror organisations have also been producing propaganda videos and appealing for funds to rebuild their networks and recruit new members.
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Sources revealed that Masood Azhar himself has been leading fundraising efforts, appealing for donations during a recent address at Markaz Usman O Ali in Bahawalpur on September 27.
JeM is now reportedly collecting a donation of 500 PKR from each woman enrolling in the online course and requiring them to fill out an online information form.
Earlier this month, on October 8, Masood Azhar announced the creation of Jaish-e-Mohammed’s women’s brigade, Jamaat-ul-Mominaat. Later, on October 19, in Rawalakot, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), an event titled “Dukhtaran-e-Islam” was held to recruit women into the group.
While international terror outfits such as ISIS, Boko Haram, Hamas, and LTTE have a history of deploying women as suicide attackers, groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen had previously refrained from doing so. However, security analysts now believe JeM’s latest move signals its intent to train and deploy female suicide bombers in future operations.
It is significant to note that while Pakistan presents itself on global platforms as a victim of terrorism and claims to enforce the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) regulations, it simultaneously allows such groups to operate openly on its soil, raising funds under the guise of religious “markaz” (centres).
In August, JeM had also launched an online fundraising campaign through EasyPaisa, seeking to raise Rs 3.91 billion for constructing 313 new markaz across Pakistan.
