In a significant and troubling development in Pakistan’s extremist landscape, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) — the notorious terror outfit founded by Masood Azhar — is reportedly forming its first-ever women’s wing. What makes the move more alarming is that the newly created unit will be headed by Masood Azhar’s sister, whose husband was recently killed in India’s counterterrorism offensive, Operation Sindoor.
According to intelligence assessments, this restructuring marks a major shift in JeM’s strategy, indicating the group’s efforts to expand its recruitment and operational reach by mobilizing women — a tactic increasingly observed among militant organizations across South Asia and the Middle East. The move is believed to be both symbolic and tactical: symbolic, as a response to her husband’s death, and tactical, as it seeks to exploit gender dynamics to evade counterterror surveillance networks.
The killing of her husband, a senior JeM operative, during Operation Sindoor — a high-intensity military crackdown by Indian forces targeting cross-border infiltration networks — has reportedly served as the catalyst for her rise within the group’s hierarchy. In militant circles, she is being portrayed as a “martyr’s widow,” a narrative designed to inspire radical sentiment among women in Pakistan’s conservative regions and within the organization’s sympathizer networks.
Jaish-e-Mohammed, long accused of orchestrating deadly attacks such as the 2001 Indian Parliament assault and the 2019 Pulwama bombing, has faced increased international scrutiny and financial sanctions. Yet, despite these pressures, the group continues to re-emerge under new guises and regional alliances. Analysts believe that the establishment of a women’s wing is JeM’s attempt to rejuvenate its cadre base amid declining male recruitment due to intensified anti-terror operations and tightening global financial controls.
Reports suggest that the women’s division will focus primarily on propaganda, logistical support, and indoctrination rather than direct combat. However, counterterrorism experts caution that such groups often evolve from ideological cells into operational entities over time. Female operatives, they warn, may be used to transport weapons, gather intelligence, or even carry out suicide attacks — tactics that have already been adopted by other jihadist outfits like ISIS and Boko Haram.
The development also highlights the shifting social undercurrents within Pakistan’s radical ecosystem. Extremist groups have increasingly begun exploiting the rhetoric of “female empowerment” to justify the participation of women in jihad. This paradoxical framing — blending patriarchal control with militant activism — aims to normalize women’s involvement under religious pretexts, thereby broadening the group’s ideological appeal.
The Pakistani establishment, meanwhile, remains in a difficult position. While Islamabad has officially proscribed Jaish-e-Mohammed, enforcement has often been inconsistent. Security observers note that the creation of a women’s wing under the watch of a figure as high-profile as Masood Azhar’s sister could not happen without at least tacit awareness from certain local networks sympathetic to the group’s cause.
For India, this latest development reinforces concerns over Pakistan-based terror outfits attempting to regroup under new leadership and formats. The timing is particularly sensitive, as cross-border infiltration attempts have reportedly increased following the success of Operation Sindoor. Indian security agencies are on alert for possible propaganda or recruitment campaigns targeting online platforms to radicalize young women across the region.
The emergence of a female-led wing within Jaish-e-Mohammed is not just an organizational change — it is a dangerous evolution. It signals the group’s adaptability, its intent to weaponize social narratives, and its resilience in the face of military pressure. For the international community, it serves as another reminder that terrorism is not static; it mutates, rebrands, and finds new avenues to survive.
As the shadow of Operation Sindoor continues to loom over the subcontinent, the challenge ahead lies not only in dismantling militant infrastructure but also in countering the ideological currents that enable it — even when they wear a new, more deceptive face.
