JeM Women’s Wing Raises Fresh Concerns, UN Flags Terror Outfit's Evolving Strategy

Last Updated:February 12, 2026, 11:55 IST

The UN report indicates the women’s wing is aligned with JeM’s pivot towards female outreach, particularly in Pakistan’s Punjab province and parts of Jammu and Kashmir.

A recent United Nations monitoring report has flagged fresh concerns over Jaish-e-Mohammad’s (JeM) evolving organisational strategy, particularly its efforts to institutionalise women’s participation in its ecosystem. The report noted that on October 8, JeM chief Masood Azhar formally announced the creation of a women-only wing called Jamaat ul-Muminat (also referred to as Jamaat al-Mu’minaat), a body that the UN team said was explicitly intended to support terrorist operations. The development signals a tactical shift for the Pakistan-based terror outfit, which has historically relied on male operatives for direct action while women were largely confined to peripheral roles.

The announcement came days after a CNN-News18 report highlighted JeM’s renewed push to build a structured women’s outreach programme. A circular issued under the title Jamaat al-Mu’minaat frames the initiative in overtly religious terms, invoking phrases such as “Bismillah", citing Quranic verses, and using imagery of Makkah and Madina to lend spiritual legitimacy to its narrative. Intelligence sources suggest the tone is deliberately devotional and calibrated to appeal to educated, urban Muslim women by emphasising themes of moral purification and Islamic reform. Analysts say this approach represents a first stage of indoctrination — drawing women into spiritual discussion platforms before gradually exposing them to the group’s political and jihadist ideology.

Security experts point out that JeM’s repeated invocation of Jamaat al-Mu’minaat across its messaging reflects a cell-based vertical structure, similar to its broader operational framework. In past configurations, women’s groups linked to extremist organisations have functioned as recruiters, fundraisers, logistical facilitators and message couriers — roles that reduce direct exposure of male operatives while expanding the support base. The UN report indicates that the new women’s wing is aligned with JeM’s post-2024 pivot towards structured female outreach, particularly in Pakistan’s Punjab province and parts of Jammu and Kashmir.

Investigators believe the outreach is being conducted through a mix of social media channels and madrasa-linked networks, often using encrypted platforms to avoid scrutiny. The messaging subtly frames participation as a spiritual obligation and collective religious duty, echoing early jihadist narratives that justified women’s involvement in logistical, educational or cyber roles rather than frontline combat. References in the circular to specific dates in the Islamic calendar — including 13 Rabi-ul-Thani, corresponding to October 8, 2025 — are being interpreted by intelligence agencies as indicative of planned, markaz-level gatherings.

Such meetings, officials say, can serve multiple purposes: ideological consolidation, recruitment drives under banners such as islah-e-ummah (reform of the community), and potential fundraising through donation chains. Intelligence assessments suggest that some of these financial flows may be routed through religious non-governmental organisations or madrasa networks, raising concerns about covert hawala channels.

Authorities further note stylistic similarities between the Jamaat al-Mu’minaat material and publications associated with Pakistan-based entities such as Al-Muhajirat and Markaz Usman-o-Ali, traced to Bahawalpur — long considered JeM’s stronghold. The publication address and theological framing, they say, point to a cross-border design rather than a locally generated initiative.

Officials describe Jamaat al-Mu’minaat as more than a symbolic women’s forum. Instead, it appears positioned as a psychological and grassroots recruitment front aimed at expanding JeM’s influence in regions including Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and parts of southern India. Beyond ideological propagation, women’s units are believed to be prepared for roles in online “dawa" campaigns, misinformation dissemination, cyber facilitation and discreet fund transfers.

The UN’s findings underscore a broader trend among extremist organisations: adapting recruitment strategies to widen participation, evade security scrutiny and embed support structures within community spaces. For security agencies, JeM’s formalisation of a women-only wing marks a significant operational recalibration that could complicate counter-terror monitoring efforts in the months ahead.

News world JeM Women’s Wing Raises Fresh Concerns, UN Flags Terror Outfit's Evolving Strategy

Read More