Terrorist organizations in Pakistan are now enlisting women as fidayeen, with a focus on anti-India sentiments. Recent videos uncovered by Aaj Tak reveal a disturbing trend where groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) are targeting and radicalizing women under the guise of empowerment initiatives.
Following India’s Operation Sindoor, a retaliation to the Pahalgam massacre, intelligence agencies have noted a shift in tactics by Pakistan-based terror groups. They are actively recruiting women and youth through covert channels in social, political, and educational spheres to bolster their ranks.
Leaked videos expose LeT’s “new syllabus,” a deliberate strategy to radicalize women and young girls by demonizing India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The footage captures indoctrination sessions led by Hafiz Abdur Rauf, a designated global terrorist, who is instructing women to engage in jihad activities.
In addition to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), LeT is intensifying efforts to recruit and train women for jihad, with apparent collaboration between LeT training centers and Pakistan’s military and police. Officials believe some officers are providing tactical and ideological training at these camps under the guise of “civil empowerment” programs.
The videos depict instructors urging women to view India and Modi as their primary adversaries, emphasizing the need for jihad. Notably, Imtiaz Ahmad Makki, a key figure linked to LeT, is seen rallying women recruits to perceive the conflict between Pakistan and India as a battle for their group.
The involvement of banned operatives like Muhammad Harris Dar in these training sessions underscores the international ramifications of these programs. Intelligence sources reveal that LeT is expanding its network through various civil and political fronts, including the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML) and the Muslim Youth League (MYL), to mainstream its extremist ideology.
Despite global sanctions, LeT continues to leverage these fronts to propagate radical ideologies, using education, politics, and religion as tools for indoctrination. The videos expose the deep involvement of Pakistan’s military in these empowerment programs, forming a complex “social jihadi apparatus” that blends politics, religion, and propaganda to perpetuate terror activities.
This alarming trend signifies a dangerous convergence of education, politics, and extremism, with women being groomed not just for combat roles but also to disseminate extremist beliefs within communities, fostering a culture of terrorism.