A recently uncovered 21-minute audio recording of Masood Azhar, the leader of Jaish-e-Mohammed, reveals a disturbing strategy to recruit, train, and deploy women for terrorist activities, indicating an alarming escalation in the group’s anti-India operations. Earlier reports from India Today disclosed that Jaish had established a women’s unit named Jamaat-ul-Mominat to strengthen its ranks following significant losses during Operation Sindoor. The leaked audio from a speech by Masood Azhar at Markaz Usman-o-Ali in Bahawalpur exposes his malevolent intentions.
Azhar’s speech guarantees that female recruits will achieve immediate entry to paradise upon their demise. He envisions the all-female brigade as a response to what he perceives as the exploitation of women by adversaries in military and media roles. Azhar vows to mobilize women within Jaish to counter these perceived threats. He plans to establish branches of Jamaat-ul-Mominat in every district of Pakistan, each overseen by a District Muntazima responsible for recruitment.
According to intelligence sources and media reports, the recruitment initiative targets the wives of commanders, economically vulnerable women, and relatives of deceased militants. While Jaish frames the initiative as a response to India, its true objective is to extend the group’s operational reach and capitalize on societal vulnerabilities to bolster its forces.
Masood Azhar outlined that female recruits will undergo training akin to their male counterparts, starting with a 15-day ‘Daura-e-Taskiya’ followed by ‘Daura-Ayat-ul-Nisah’ for religious instruction. He encourages recruits to study his pamphlet ‘Ae Musalman Behna’, which aligns with the group’s radicalization tactics of religious indoctrination and controlled messaging leading to violence.
Jaish has commenced promoting online classes and courses, with posters featuring Umme Masood (presumed to be Masood Azhar’s sister Samaira) as the online instructor. Sessions are scheduled five days a week starting in late October. Stringent communication guidelines have been imposed on recruits, prohibiting interactions with unrelated men except for immediate family members or husbands.
Reports suggest that Masood Azhar’s family members, including his sisters overseeing online instruction, have assumed leadership roles within Jaish. This strategic move aims to bolster the group’s manpower, particularly among women, following significant losses in previous attacks. The formalization of militarizing women within Jaish post-terror attacks has raised concerns, as the group utilizes familial ties, online education, and religious teachings to normalize terrorism, posing an increased threat to India and the broader region.