In an alarming escalation of extremist mobilisation in South Asia, Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) has launched a full-fledged all-women terror wing, enrolling more than 5,000 women in just eight weeks, intelligence agencies have revealed. The new division—called ‘Jamaat-ul-Mominat’—is being spearheaded by Saadia Azhar, sister of JeM chief Masood Azhar, signaling an unprecedented shift in the terror outfit’s recruitment strategy.
This is the first time a major Pakistan-backed terror organisation has openly inducted women for suicide training, logistical missions, reconnaissance and online radicalisation programmes, raising serious red flags for India and global security agencies.
Women Being Trained as Digital Fidayeen
According to intelligence inputs, the recruitment drive began on October 8, 2025, from JeM’s central command centre, Markaz Usman-o-Ali in Bahawalpur. Women from Multan, Karachi, Kotli, Sialkot and Muzaffarabad are joining in large numbers.
Training is conducted online through encrypted apps like Telegram, Signal, and Clubhouse. Recruits pay PKR 500 for each 40-minute session that includes:
●Suicide bombing indoctrination
●Religious radicalisation
●Digital propaganda strategies
●Lessons on “martyrdom obligations”
Officials warn that JeM is building female suicide brigades modeled on ISIS and Hamas, with emphasis on low-profile operatives who can bypass security scrutiny more easily than men.
Saadia & Afira: The Women Leading JeM’s Radical Army
JeM’s female wing is led by:
●Saadia Azhar — sister of Masood Azhar; widow of Yusuf Azhar (killed in India’s 2019 Operation Sindoor).
●Afira — wife of Umar Farooq, the mastermind of the Pulwama terror attack.
Both women are driving recruitment, indoctrination and operational instructions.
‘Daura-e-Tazkiya’: Women’s Version of JeM’s Military Course
While male fighters undergo a 15-day combat module ‘Daura-e-Tarbiyat’, women are being trained through a parallel system called:
Daura-e-Tazkiya (Course of Purification)
This includes:
●Religious brainwashing
●Covert communication lessons
●Propaganda creation
●Suicide mission preparation
Strict Code of Control
Female recruits must follow extreme restrictions:
●No interaction with non-mahram men
●No photos, videos or selfies on social media
●Communication only with husbands or close male relatives
Analysts say these rules are meant to maintain absolute ideological control and hide the network from intelligence agencies.
A New Terror Blueprint After JeM’s Heavy Losses
Experts believe the shift to female cadres is a tactical response after JeM suffered major losses in Pahalgam, Balakot and subsequent Indian counter-terror operations.
A senior Indian intelligence officer told reporters:
“Digital indoctrination of women into jihad is a dangerous shift. Female operatives are harder to detect and can be used for covert suicide missions.”
Funding Under Scanner
Investigators suspect:
●Cryptocurrency wallets
●Hawala channels
●Support from radical NGOs in Pakistan & Middle East
The model mirrors ISIS’s online radicalisation network, blending encrypted indoctrination with operational training.
Growing Global Alarm
Western agencies have joined Indian intelligence in raising alerts over the rapid expansion of JeM’s women’s wing.
Security experts warn:
“This could redefine terror recruitment in South Asia for years to come.”
