New Delhi: Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and its chief Masood Azhar have launched a major restructuring plan after several of its establishments, including the headquarters at Bahawalpur, were all but destroyed in high-precision missile strikes by India on May 7, marking the start of Operation Sindoor.
Indian agencies have come to know that the JeM has now abandoned traditional cash courier systems in favour of sophisticated digital financing. Following FATF pressure that led Pakistan to claim it froze JeM assets in 2019, the ISI has shifted tactics entirely. Donations now flow directly into mobile wallets operated by Azhar’s family, including his son Abdullah and brother Talha Al Saif, alongside commanders like Syed Safdar Shah, India Today has reported.
At least 250 wallets are currently linked to JeM’s fundraising campaign, with over 2,000 in rotation nationwide. The wallets are swapped every few months, with funds broken into smaller amounts and moved frequently to evade detection by FATF’s SWIFT monitoring system.
According to the agencies, the terror group has launched an unprecedented PKR 3.91 billion fundraising campaign to establish 313 new camps across Pakistan. Each facility, marketed as a “markaz” through propaganda on Facebook and WhatsApp, carries a price tag of PKR 12.5 million. Azhar’s personal letters urge supporters to donate PKR 21,000 towards this massive expansion.
Many of the camps will cost significantly less – around PKR 4-5 million – leaving substantial funds for procurement of weapons. JeM plans to use these facilities as combined safehouses, training grounds and weapons depots, representing a complete decentralisation of JeM’s operations.
Nearly half of JeM’s funding is allocated to weapons purchases. Beyond traditional firearms, rocket launchers and mortars, intelligence sources fear the group is advancing towards drones and quadcopters, learning from allies like Hamas and the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan.
Despite possessing satellite intelligence on JeM’s Bahawalpur headquarters for years, Washington has chosen diplomatic balance over accountability. Following Operation Sindoor, the United States engaged equally with India and Pakistan without condemning Islamabad for harbouring Azhar.
This bears resemblance to the Osama bin Laden episode. The US did nothing to pull up Pakistan even after the world’s most wanted terrorist was found in a safehouse near the country’s military academy in Abbotabad. Pakistan’s defence minister Khwaja Asif recently admitted on Sky News that Pakistan has been backing terror groups for decades, calling it “dirty work” done for Western powers.
Pakistan’s removal from FATF’s grey list in 2022 after banning cash donations appears increasingly meaningless. Videos from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa show militants openly collecting funds after Friday prayers, whilst investigators trace digital wallets directly to Azhar’s family network. Azhar, a UN-designated global terrorist, continues issuing audio messages and planning attacks whilst Pakistan maintains its facade of ignorance.