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International News: Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar has announced the group’s first-ever women’s unit, Jamaat-ul-Mominaat, from his Bahawalpur base. In a 21-minute audio message, he detailed a plan to recruit, train, and deploy women under this new wing. Azhar said women will undergo ideological training through courses like Daura-e-Taskiya, mirroring the existing male training model.
He promised recruits that their participation in jihad will take them straight to paradise. The move signals a major expansion of JeM’s operational strategy, worrying security agencies across the region.
For the past two decades, JeM’s men have been trained under Daura-e-Tarbiat, a 15-day indoctrination program. Now, women will face a similar process under Daura-e-Taskiya, conducted in Bahawalpur. Azhar also introduced a second stage, Daura-Ayat-ul-Nisah, which will teach women how Islamic texts can be used to justify jihad.
His speech included strict rules, banning women from speaking to unrelated men. This marks the first time JeM has formally extended its militant curriculum to women, raising fears of female suicide bombers in future attacks.
Azhar announced that his sister, Sadiya Azhar, will lead Jamaat-ul-Mominaat. Her husband Yusuf Azhar was killed during India’s Operation Sindoor in May. Other women in leadership include his sister Samaira Azhar and Afeera Farooq, widow of Pulwama attacker Umar Farooq. JeM confirmed in posters that Samaira, under the name Umme Masood, will conduct online indoctrination classes five days a week.
The leadership team also includes women whose male relatives died in encounters with Indian security forces, ensuring emotional motivation for fresh recruits.
Operation Sindoor was India’s major counter-terror campaign after the Pahalgam massacre that killed 26 civilians in April. Indian airstrikes destroyed JeM and Lashkar-e-Taiba bases in Bahawalpur, Muridke, and across Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Several of Azhar’s family members, including Yusuf Azhar and Huzaifa Azhar, were killed.
Reports say Azhar conceptualised the women’s unit with his sister before her death in the strikes. Analysts believe the creation of Jamaat-ul-Mominaat is partly a response to heavy losses suffered during Operation Sindoor.
JeM is actively using propaganda to attract women. Posters highlight daily online lectures and Quranic interpretations designed to inspire recruits. The campaign, called Shoba-e-Dawat, features women who lost male relatives in clashes, portraying them as role models. Azhar has also ordered women to study his book “Ae Musalman Behna” as a compulsory text. The group is charging 500 PKR for enrollment, asking women to fill out online registration forms. Experts warn that such recruitment tactics could radicalize women on a larger scale than before.
Azhar, a UN-designated terrorist, continues to operate freely from Bahawalpur despite international pressure on Pakistan. His announcement of a women’s brigade is a direct challenge to global counter-terrorism measures. Security experts note that by involving women, JeM is trying to mirror strategies used by ISIS and Boko Haram.
Pakistan’s silence on this issue suggests either covert support or lack of control over JeM’s activities. The expansion of Jamaat-ul-Mominaat could destabilize Pakistan internally while increasing cross-border threats to India.
Indian intelligence agencies are treating JeM’s new strategy as a serious threat. Officials believe the creation of a female brigade indicates a possible wave of female suicide bombers. With branches planned in every district of Pakistan, recruitment could rise quickly. The timing, soon after Operation Sindoor, shows JeM’s desperation to rebuild after losing major bases. Analysts warn that if unchecked, Jamaat-ul-Mominaat may become a new face of terrorism in South Asia, combining emotional appeal with radical indoctrination.
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