New Delhi: The Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish‑e‑Mohammed (JeM) has unveiled a new initiative aimed at recruiting and indoctrinating women, according to intelligence sources cited by Business Today.
The group’s newly formed female arm, Jamat ul‑Muminat, is set to launch an online training course entitled “Tufat al-Muminat” starting November 8. The daily course sessions will run for about 40 minutes each and carry a fee (or donation) of Rs 500 per participant.
Leadership of the initiative is reportedly taken up by women directly connected to JeM’s upper echelon. Chief among them is Sadiya Azhar, sister of JeM chief Masood Azhar, together with his other sister Safia Azhar and Afreera Farooq, the wife of the late JeM operative Umar Farooq.
According to security officials, the recruitment drive is being directed at the wives of JeM commanders as well as economically vulnerable women who study at its religious centres in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, including in Bahawalpur, Karachi, Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Haripur and Mansehra. Since it is an online initiative, the group is apparently utilising digital platforms to circumvent social constraints on women’s public movement in conservative zones.
Intelligence assessments indicate that the move marks a shift in JeM’s operational thinking: while the group has historically barred women from frontline combat roles, it is now signalling approval for female participation — especially in logistics, propaganda or support operations — under the guidance of Masood Azhar and his brother Talha al‑Saif. A senior counter-terror official told Business Today:
“After Operation Sindoor and the Pahalgam attack, JeM’s leadership realised that female members could be used to evade security scrutiny and carry out logistics or propaganda operations. This course is part of that strategy.”
The launch of Jamat ul-Muminat had been publicly announced by Masood Azhar on October 8, followed by a mobilisation event in Rawalkot in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir called Dukhtaran-e-Islam, in furtherance of the group’s women-based outreach.
Security analysts say the new online course and female recruitment effort raises fresh concerns about the evolving tactics of regional terror groups. The move comes amid Pakistan’s insistence that it is in compliance with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards — yet intelligence reports suggest the course may also serve as a fundraising and recruitment channel.