Despite the crippling impact of India’s Operation Sindoor in May, terror mastermind Masood Azhar and his group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) are attempting a bold resurgence, drawing strength from digital financing networks and continued state-backed protection in Pakistan.
Operation Sindoor’s Immediate Aftermath
On 7 May, the Indian Air Force executed precision strikes deep inside Pakistan, targeting JeM’s nerve centre, Markaz Subhanallah in Bahawalpur, along with four other key training camps. These strikes demolished the very facilities where militants involved in the Pulwama and Pahalgam attacks had been trained. The offensive killed at least 14 terrorists, including senior commanders and Azhar’s own relatives. The facilities at Markaz Bilal, Markaz Abbas, Mahmona Joya, and Sargal were razed to the ground, a move that New Delhi initially believed would cripple JeM’s operational structure. Yet, instead of eliminating the group, the strikes forced it into a tactical shift, pushing it to evolve and adapt to modern methods of survival and expansion.
Rise of the Digital Jihad Model
JeM has now replaced its traditional cash courier and hawala systems with sophisticated digital financing mechanisms. Under international pressure from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Pakistan claimed to freeze JeM’s assets in 2019. In reality, the group’s financial strategy was simply recalibrated with full support from the ISI. Presently, donations are funneled into mobile wallets directly managed by Azhar’s family, including his son Abdullah, brother Talha Al Saif, and senior commander Syed Safdar Shah.
Intelligence agencies estimate that at least 250 active mobile wallets are tied to JeM’s fundraising operations, with over 2,000 wallets rotating nationally to avoid detection. These funds are constantly split into smaller denominations and moved across accounts to outmaneuver FATF’s SWIFT-based tracking systems, ensuring an uninterrupted flow of money to JeM’s expanding network.
Ambitious Reconstruction Drive
Emboldened by this financial system, JeM has embarked on a PKR 3.91 billion campaign to construct 313 new terror camps across Pakistan. Each camp, branded as a “markaz” in the group’s online propaganda disseminated through Facebook and WhatsApp, is estimated to cost PKR 12.5 million. Azhar has even issued personal appeals through letters, urging supporters to contribute PKR 21,000 each towards this vast project.
However, intelligence assessments indicate that many of these camps will cost closer to PKR 4–5 million, creating substantial surpluses that are expected to be diverted into weapons procurement and smuggling operations. The planned camps are not merely training hubs but multi-functional centres serving as safehouses, storage depots, and operational bases—a complete decentralisation strategy designed to make JeM’s network more resilient against future strikes.
Escalation in Weapons and Technology
Roughly 50% of JeM’s fundraising is reportedly channeled into weapons acquisition on the black market, with tacit ISI approval. Beyond procuring conventional arms such as rifles, rocket launchers, and mortars, JeM is now exploring drones, quadcopters, and improvised aerial platforms, learning from the battlefield tactics of Hamas and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Such technological diversification could drastically expand the group’s offensive capabilities in the region.
Washington’s Ambiguous Role
A critical question mark hangs over U.S. policy. Despite years of satellite intelligence on JeM’s Bahawalpur command centre, Washington refrained from holding Islamabad accountable, choosing instead to maintain diplomatic balance with both India and Pakistan after Operation Sindoor. The lack of condemnation recalls the Osama bin Laden episode, when Pakistan feigned ignorance while sheltering the world’s most wanted terrorist near its military academy. Recently, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khwaja Asif admitted on Sky News that the country had backed terror groups for decades, bluntly describing it as “dirty work” carried out for Western powers.
FATF’s Toothless Oversight
The FATF’s 2022 decision to remove Pakistan from its grey list, following Islamabad’s supposed crackdown on terror financing, appears increasingly hollow. Despite formal bans on cash donations, videos from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa show militants openly soliciting contributions after Friday prayers. Meanwhile, investigators continue to trace digital wallet transactions directly back to Azhar’s immediate family.
Azhar, though a UN-designated global terrorist, continues to issue audio sermons and operational directives, reinforcing his grip over JeM while Pakistan maintains its public pretense of ignorance. Unless the international community imposes harsher scrutiny, digital transaction crackdowns, and real accountability on Islamabad, JeM’s blueprint for 313 decentralised camps could soon transform into a frightening operational reality—ensuring not just the group’s survival but a dangerous expansion across South Asia.
