{{Short description|Deobandi-jihadist Pakistani militant organization}} {{Distinguish|Jaysh Muhammad al-Fatih}} {{Redirect|JeM|other uses|Jem (disambiguation)}} {{protection padlock|small=yes}} {{Pp-move-vandalism|small=yes}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2016}} {{Use Indian English|date=June 2016}} {{Infobox War Faction | name = Jaish-e-Mohammed | native_name = {{nq|جيشِ محمدؐ}} | native_name_lang = ur | war = Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir | image = 200px|border | caption = The flag of Jaish-e-Mohammed | active = 2000–present | allegiance = {{flagicon|Pakistan}} Pakistan<ref name="afintl.com">{{cite web |url=https://www.afintl.com/en/202410090797|title=Many Jihadi Groups In Asia & Africa Pledge Allegiance To Taliban Leader, Group Sources|website=Afghanistan International|date=9 October 2024}}</ref> | ideology = {{Nowrap|Deobandi jihadism<ref name="Moj intro">{{harvp|Moj, Deoband Madrassah Movement|2015|p=98}}: "Deobandis like Masood Azhar, a graduate of Jamia Binouria who later set up a jihadist outfit named Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) in 2000, reportedly at the behest of Pakistan's military establishment."</ref><br>Sunni Islamism<ref name="bbcprofile">{{cite news |title=Jaish-e-Mohammad: A profile |publisher=BBC News |date=2002-02-06 |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1804228.stm |access-date=2009-12-02 |archive-date=28 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220428060751/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1804228.stm |url-status=live }}</ref><br>Islamic fundamentalism<ref name="bbcprofile"/>}} | leader = Masood Azhar | leader1_title = Supreme Commander | leader1_name = Abdul Rauf Azhar<ref name="Sridevi">{{Cite web |last=Sridevi |first=Prema |title=Masood Azhar, JeM Founder: Is His Brother Dead or Alive? |url=https://theprobe.in/security/masood-azhar-jem-founder-is-his-brother-dead-or-alive-9057210 |access-date=2025-05-13 |website=theprobe.in |language=en}}</ref> | clans = Al-Akhtar Trust<br>Lashkar-e-Mustafa<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite web|url = https://thekashmirwalla.com/kashmir-tigers-another-militant-outfit-emerges-fourth-in-two-years/|title = Kashmir Tigers: Another militant outfit emerges, fourth in two years|date = 23 January 2021|access-date = 22 October 2021|archive-date = 22 October 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211022120838/https://thekashmirwalla.com/kashmir-tigers-another-militant-outfit-emerges-fourth-in-two-years/|url-status = usurped}}</ref> | headquarters = Bahawalpur, Pakistan<ref name="BBCUrdu7May">{{Cite web |date=7 May 2025 |title=انڈیا نے چھ مئی کی شب پاکستان اور اس کے زیرِ انتظام کشمیر میں کن مقامات کو نشانہ بنایا؟ |trans-title=What locations did India target in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir on the night of May 6? |url=https://www.bbc.com/urdu/articles/c5yly8pg7rgo |website=BBC Urdu |language=ur|trans-quote=It is worth noting that Bahawalpur is also home to the central headquarters of the banned organization Jaish-e-Mohammad, and Madrasa al-Sabir and Jamia Masjid al-Subhan are part of it.}}</ref><ref name="IISS15May">{{Cite web |last=Roy-Chaudhury |first=Rahul |date=15 May 2025 |title=India–Pakistan drone and missile conflict: differing and disputed narratives |publisher=International Institute for Strategic Studies |url=https://www.iiss.org/online-analysis/online-analysis/2025/05/indiapakistan-drone-and-missile-conflict-differing-and-disputed-narratives/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250515193358/https://www.iiss.org/online-analysis/online-analysis/2025/05/indiapakistan-drone-and-missile-conflict-differing-and-disputed-narratives/ |archive-date=15 May 2025|quote=Significantly, these included the headquarters of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, the group blamed for the Pahalgam attack, in Muridke, 50 kilometres from Lahore; and the headquarters of the Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group in Bhawalpur, over 100 km from the Indian border. Both cities are in Pakistani Punjab.}}</ref><ref name="TheDiplomat">{{Cite web |last=Shahid |first=Kunwar Khuldune |date=31 May 2025 |title=Pakistan and the Latest Reincarnation of Lashkar-e-Taiba |url=https://thediplomat.com/2025/05/pakistan-and-the-latest-reincarnation-of-lashkar-e-taiba/ |access-date=1 June 2025 |website=The Diplomat |language=en-US}}</ref> | area = Jammu and Kashmir | attacks = *2001 Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly car bombing *2001 Indian Parliament attack *2016 Pathankot attack *2016 Uri attack *2019 Pulwama attack | status = Active | size = Unknown | partof = United Jihad Council Operation Tupac<ref name=FAS> {{cite web |url = https://fas.org/irp/world/pakistan/isi/ |title = Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence |publisher = Federation of American Scientists |author = John Pike |date = 25 July 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080515131913/http://www.fas.org/irp/world/pakistan/isi/ |archive-date=15 May 2008}} </ref> | previous = | next = | allies = '''State allies'''<br/> * {{flag|Pakistan}} (alleged, denied by Pakistan)<ref name="afintl.com" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gabol |first=Imran |date=2024-03-10 |title=CTD arrests 23 suspected militants in Punjab |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1820450 |access-date=2025-09-10 |website=Dawn |language=en}}</ref> * {{flag|Afghanistan}} (Taliban)<ref>{{cite web |title=Taliban's Kashmir policy: Rhetoric, ideology, and interests |url=https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/talibans-kashmir-policy/?amp |publisher=Observer Research Foundation |access-date=21 September 2022 |quote=Essentially, JeM maintains eight camps in Afghanistan’s Nangahar—three of which are under the direct control of the Taliban. |archive-date=5 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405034143/https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/talibans-kashmir-policy/?amp |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{citation |last=Popovic |first=Milos |title=The Perils of Weak Organization: Explaining Loyalty and Defection of Militant Organizations Toward Pakistan |journal=Studies in Conflict & Terrorism |volume=38 |number=11 |year=2015 |doi=10.1080/1057610X.2015.1063838 |s2cid=108668097 |page=925}}</ref> '''Non-State allies'''<br/> * {{flagicon image|Flag of Jihad.svg}} Al-Qaeda{{sfnp|Popovic, The Perils of Weak Organization|2015|pp=921, 925, 926}}<ref name="Riedel Al-Qaeda">{{harvp|Riedel, Deadly Embrace|2012}}: "The answer is JeM's friend and ally, Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda." (p. 69) "Or as Pakistan's interior minister Rehman Malik has put it, "They—Lashkar-e-Janghvi, the Sipah-e-Sohaba Pakistan, and Jaish-e-Mohammad—are allies of the Taliban and al Qaeda" and do indeed pursue many of the same goals." (p. 100)</ref> ** {{flagicon image|Flag of AQIS.svg}} AQIS * {{flagicon image|Flag of Lashkar-e-Taiba.svg}} Lashkar-e-Taiba * {{flagicon image|Flag of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen.svg}} Harkat-ul-Mujahideen * {{flagicon image|Flag of Jihad.svg}} Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami * {{flagicon image|Al-Badr flag.svg}} Al-Badr * Hizbul Mujahideen * {{flagicon image|Flag of Jihad.svg}} Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind * {{flagicon image|Flag of Sipah-e-Sahaba.jpg}} Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan<ref name="satp" /><ref name="cable" /> (until 2018) * {{flagicon image|Flag of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.svg}} Lashkar-e-Jhangvi<ref name="map">[http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/maps/view/pak Pakistan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230319070309/http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/maps/view/pak |date=19 March 2023 }}. ''Mapping Militants''. Stanford University.</ref> (until 2024) * Al Rashid Trust<ref name="map"/> * {{flagicon image|Flag of Jihad.svg}} Indian Mujahideen<ref>[https://www.start.umd.edu/baad/database/indian-mujahideen-2012 Indian Mujahideen] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220909070625/https://www.start.umd.edu/baad/database/indian-mujahideen-2012 |date=9 September 2022 }}. Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism.</ref> * People’s Anti-Fascist Front<ref name="tt">{{cite web | url=https://trackingterrorism.org/group/peoples-anti-fascist-front-paff-jammu-and-kashmir/ | title=People's Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF) – Jammu & Kashmir | website=Tracking Terrorism | access-date=26 October 2022 | archive-date=4 October 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004180601/https://trackingterrorism.org/group/peoples-anti-fascist-front-paff-jammu-and-kashmir/ | url-status=live }}</ref> * {{flag|Hamas}}<ref>{{Cite web|title=Hamas Leaders Visited Pakistani kashmir': Israel Envoy On Link With Pak-Based Lashkar|url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/hamas-leaders-visited-pakistan-occupied-kashmir-israel-envoy-reuven-azar-on-coordination-among-terrorists-8245254|access-date=25 April 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Hamas leaders visited Pakistan multiple times in the last one years|website=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/hamas-pak-trying-to-link-jk-terrorism-to-fight-against-israel/articleshow/120562966.cms|access-date=25 April 2025}}</ref> * {{flagicon image|Flag of Tehrik-i-Taliban.svg}} Pakistani Taliban<ref name="ReferenceB">{{Cite web|title='Failed To Liberate Kashmir': Taliban mock 'incompetent' Pak Army; Refute Indian proxy charge| website=YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdC3IKY-fgk|access-date=4 April 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=TTP condemned the Indian attack and expressed soldiery with Masood Azhar TTP also slams Pakistan Army over killing of Masood Azhar's family|url=https://newsvibesofindia.com/ttp-slams-pakistan-army-over-killing-of-masood-azhars-family-members-in-indian-attack/|access-date=8 May 2025}}</ref> | opponents = '''State opponents'''<br/> *{{flag|India}} | battles = *Kashmir conflict **Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir | designated_as_terror_group_by = {{hlist |Australia |Canada<ref name="canada-list">{{cite web|url=https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/ntnl-scrt/cntr-trrrsm/lstd-ntts/crrnt-lstd-ntts-en.aspx|title=Currently listed entities|work=Public Safety Canada|date=21 December 2018|publisher=Government of Canada|access-date=13 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210728171301/https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/ntnl-scrt/cntr-trrrsm/lstd-ntts/crrnt-lstd-ntts-en.aspx|archive-date=28 July 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> |India |Pakistan |Russia |United Arab Emirates |United Kingdom |United States |UN<ref>{{cite journal |last=Freedman |first=Benjamin |date=May 2010 |title=Officially Blacklisted Extremist/Terrorist (Support) Organizations: a Comparison of Lists from six Countries and two International Organizations |url=https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/binaries/content/assets/governance-and-global-affairs/isga/perspectives-on-terrorism/2010-2.pdf |journal=Perspectives on Terrorism |volume=4 |issue=2 |pages=46–52 |jstor=26298448 |access-date=16 July 2021 |archive-date=16 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210716093916/https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/binaries/content/assets/governance-and-global-affairs/isga/perspectives-on-terrorism/2010-2.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> |BRICS<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.livemint.com/Politics/qGrkGqzoC99RAMe9nmjpdP/Brics-2017-Nations-voice-concern-over-terror-groups-includ.html|title=BRICS declaration names Pakistan-based terror groups in diplomatic victory for India|date=4 September 2017|publisher=Mint.com|access-date=14 February 2021|archive-date=20 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420002505/https://www.livemint.com/Politics/qGrkGqzoC99RAMe9nmjpdP/Brics-2017-Nations-voice-concern-over-terror-groups-includ.html|url-status=live}}</ref> }} | url = }} {{Deobandism}} '''Jaish-e-Mohammed''' ('''JeM''') is a Deobandi-jihadist Pakistani militant group active in Kashmir.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Bhattacharjee|first=Yudhijit|date=2020-03-19|title=The Terrorist Who Got Away|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/magazine/masood-azhar-jaish.html|access-date=2021-05-20|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=21 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021222739/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/magazine/masood-azhar-jaish.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Jaffrelot intro">{{harvp|Jaffrelot, ''The Pakistan Paradox''|2015|p=520}}: "as soon as he was freed, Masood Azhar was back in Pakistan where he founded a new jihadist movement, Jaish-e-Mohammed, which became one of the jihadist groups the ISI used in Kashmir and elsewhere."</ref><ref name="congressional" /> The group's primary motive is to separate Jammu and Kashmir from India and integrate it into Pakistan.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Al Jazeera Staff |title=Who are the armed groups India accuses Pakistan of backing? |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/9/who-are-the-armed-groups-india-accuses-pakistan-of-backing |access-date=2025-05-14 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref>
Since its inception in 2000, the group has carried out several terrorist attacks on civilian, economic, and military targets in India.<ref name="bbcprofile"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Attack_May_Spoil_Kashmir_Summit.html |title=Attack May Spoil Kashmir Summit |publisher=SpaceWar.com |access-date=20 May 2015 |archive-date=11 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211181801/https://www.spacewar.com/reports/Attack_May_Spoil_Kashmir_Summit.html |url-status=live }}</ref> It portrays Kashmir as a "gateway" to the entire India, whose Muslims it deems to be in need of liberation. It maintains close relations and alliances with the Taliban, al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hizbul Mujahideen, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, Indian Mujahideen.<ref name=Moj2>{{harvp|Moj, Deoband Madrassah Movement|2015|p=98}}: "In addition to guerilla activities in Kashmir, JeM kept close ties with the Taliban as well as al-Qaeda in Afghanistan."</ref>{{sfnp|Popovic, The Perils of Weak Organization|2015|pp=921, 925, 926}}<ref name="Riedel Al-Qaeda"/>
JeM was allegedly created with the support of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI),<ref name="Moj intro"/><ref>{{harvp|Rashid, Descent into Chaos|2012|loc=Glossary}}: "Jaish-e-Mohammed— ... militant group... formed in 2000 by the ISI and Maulana Masud Azhar in the aftermath of the hijacking of an Air India plane to Kandahar."</ref><ref name="Riedel intro">{{harvp|Riedel, Deadly Embrace|2012|p=69}}: "the ISI-supported, if not created, Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) terror organization."</ref> which is using it to carry out terrorist attacks in Kashmir and rest of India.<ref name="Fair ISI">{{citation |author=C. Christine Fair |author-link=C. Christine Fair |title=Bringing back the Dead: Why Pakistan Used the Jaishe-Mohammad to Attack an Indian Airbase |newspaper=Huffington Post |date=12 January 2016 |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cchristinefair/bringingbackthedeadwh_b_8955224.html |quote=This interpretation of the attack as 'peace spoiler' misses the strategic element of the ISI's revival of Jaish-e-Mohammad...}}</ref><ref name="Riedel ISI">{{cite news |author=Bruce Riedel |author-link=Bruce Riedel |title=Blame Pakistani Spy Service for Attack on Indian Air Force Base |url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/01/05/blame-pakistani-spy-service-for-attack-on-indian-air-force-base.html |newspaper=The Daily Beast |date=5 January 2016 |access-date=8 October 2016 |archive-date=3 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170503130537/http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/01/05/blame-pakistani-spy-service-for-attack-on-indian-air-force-base.html |url-status=live }}: "His group is technically illegal in Pakistan but enjoys the continuing patronage of the ISI."</ref> Due to sustained international pressure against Pakistan sponsored terrorism, JeM was banned in Pakistan in 2002 as a formality. However, the organization was never seriously disrupted or dismantled.<ref name="Riedel ban">{{harvp|Riedel, Deadly Embrace|2012|p=70}}: "But the ban was only a formality; neither organization [LeT and JeM] was seriously disrupted or dismantled. Hardly touched by the crackdown, LeT was spared the most."</ref> Its arrested leaders were subsequently released without any charges and permitted to re-form under new names.<ref name="Majidyar ban">{{harvp|Majidyar, Could Taliban take over Punjab?|2010|p=3}}: "Pakistani jails have revolving doors, and even high-profile detainees like JeM leader Maulana Masood Azhar and LeT chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed were soon free men. Banned organizations resurfaced under new names or as charities..."</ref><ref name="Gregory ban">{{harvp|Gregory, The ISI and the War on Terrorism|2007|pp=1022–1023}}: "However, most of those arrested were subsequently released without any charges and the separatist/Islamic Jihadis groups, such as the ISI creations Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, have been permitted to re-form, some of them under different names."</ref> Its variants openly continue operations under different names or charities in several facilities in Pakistan.<ref name="mcclatchy"/><ref name=livesfreely/>
According to B. Raman, Jaish-e-Mohammed is viewed as the "deadliest" and "the principal Islamic terrorist organisation in Jammu and Kashmir".<ref name="congressional">{{harvp|Cronin et al., Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs)|2004|pp=40–43}}</ref><ref name=braman>{{cite web|last1=Raman |first1=B. |year=2001 |title=Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)—A Backgrounder |publisher=South Asia Analysis Group |url=http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/%5Cpapers4%5Cpaper332.html |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100616015345/http://southasiaanalysis.org//papers4/paper332.html |archive-date=June 16, 2010}}</ref> The group was responsible for several attacks: the 2001 attack on Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly, the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, the 2016 Pathankot airbase attack, the 2016 attack on the Indian Mission in Mazar-i-Sharif, the 2016 Uri attack, and the 2019 Pulwama attack, each of which has had strategic consequences for India–Pakistan relations.<ref name="Praveen Swami">Praveen Swami, [https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/kashmir-masood-azhar-talha-rashid-killed-jaish-e-muhammad-lashkar-hizb-ul-mujahideen-indian-army-militancy-terrorism-4930417/ How significant is Jaish-e-Muhammad in Kashmir today?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111215932/https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/kashmir-masood-azhar-talha-rashid-killed-jaish-e-muhammad-lashkar-hizb-ul-mujahideen-indian-army-militancy-terrorism-4930417/ |date=11 November 2020 }}, The Indian Express, 10 November 2017.</ref> The group has been designated as a terrorist organisation by Pakistan, Russia, Australia, Canada,<ref name="canada-list"/> India, New Zealand, the United Arab Emirates, the European Union,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Parliament of Australia – Jaish e Mohammed (JeM) |url=https://www.aph.gov.au/parliamentary_business/committees/house_of_representatives_committees?url=pjcis%2Fsix+terrorist%2Fjem.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725095133if_/https://www.aph.gov.au/parliamentary_business/committees/house_of_representatives_committees?url=pjcis%2Fsix+terrorist%2Fjem.pdf |archive-date=25 July 2022 |access-date=25 July 2022 |website=Parliament of Australia}}</ref> the United Kingdom,<ref name="Proscribed"/> the United States, and the United Nations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/securitycouncil/sanctions/1267/aq_sanctions_list|title=Sanctions List Materials—United Nations Security Council|website=un.org|access-date=15 February 2019|archive-date=16 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216040651/https://www.un.org/securitycouncil/sanctions/1267/aq_sanctions_list|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Origins== Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is said to have created Jaish-e-Mohammed by working with several Deobandi Islamic jihadis associated with Harkat-ul-Mujahideen.<ref name=thedead>C. Christine Fair, [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cchristinefair/bringingbackthedeadwh_b_8955224.html Bringing back the Dead: Why Pakistan Used the Jaishe-Mohammad to Attack an Indian Airbase], Huffington Post, 12 January 2016.</ref><ref name="Riedel">{{cite news |last=Riedel |first=Bruce |author-link=Bruce Riedel |date=5 January 2016 |title=Blame Pakistani Spy Service for Attack on Indian Air Force Base |url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/01/05/blame-pakistani-spy-service-for-attack-on-indian-air-force-base.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170503130537/http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/01/05/blame-pakistani-spy-service-for-attack-on-indian-air-force-base.html |archive-date=3 May 2017 |access-date=7 October 2016 |newspaper=The Daily Beast}}</ref>{{sfnp|Rashid, Descent into Chaos|2012|ps=: "formed in 2000 by ISI and Maulana Masud Azhar in the aftermath of the hijacking of an Air India plane to Kandahar"}} By the late 1990s, states Ahmed Rashid, the Pakistani military justified ''jihad'' in Kashmir as a legitimate part of its foreign policy. Harkat had been set up in mid-1990s with ISI support to carry out "spectacular acts of terrorism". The United States declared it an Islamic jihadist group in 1998 and bombed its training camps in Afghanistan.{{sfnp|Rashid, Descent into Chaos|2012|loc=Chapter 6}}
In December 1999, Harkat Islamic jihadis hijacked the Indian Airlines Flight 814 scheduled to fly from Kathmandu to Delhi, and diverted it to Kandahar, where they were looked after by the Afghan Taliban and the Pakistani officials stationed at the airport. After they slit the throat of a passenger, the Indian government agreed to their demands and released Maulana Masood Azhar, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, three Harkat operatives previously imprisoned in India.{{sfnp|Jaffrelot, The Pakistan Paradox|2015|p=520}} The released prisoners were escorted to Pakistan by the ISI,<ref name=thedead/> and Masood Azhar was chosen to head the new group Jaish-e-Mohammed. The ISI is said to have paraded him on a victory tour through Pakistan to raise money for the new organisation.<ref name="Barzilai2014">{{citation |last=Barzilai |first=Yaniv |title=102 Days of War: How Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda & the Taliban Survived 2001 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I0KkAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA97 |year=2014 |publisher=Potomac Books, Inc. |isbn=978-1-61234-533-8 |page=97}}</ref> Some analysts argue that ISI built up the JeM to counter the growing power of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).{{sfnp|Popovic, The Perils of Weak Organization|2015|p=926}} Many analysts believed that around 1999, Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) used JeM to fight in Kashmir and other places, and continues to provide it backing.{{sfnp|Jaffrelot, The Pakistan Paradox|2015|p=520}}{{sfnp|Moj, Deoband Madrassah Movement|2015|p=98}}<ref name=thedead/> Although the JeM has been officially banned in Pakistan since 2002, it continues to openly operate several facilities in the country.<ref name="mcclatchy">{{cite web |last=Shah |first=Saeed |title=Terror group builds big base under Pakistani officials' noses |url=http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/world/article24554758.html |agency=McClatchy newspapers |date=13 September 2009 |access-date=2 October 2016 |archive-date=20 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120000226/https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/world/article24554758.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
Azhar's leadership is said to be nominal. The group has a largely decentralised structure. JeM's membership, drawn from the former members of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, was allied to the Taliban in Afghanistan and Al Qaeda. The members had shared the Al Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan and carried loyalty to Al Qaeda.{{sfnp|Popovic, The Perils of Weak Organization|2015|pp=921, 925, 926}}<ref name="congressional"/><ref name="The World Reporter">{{cite news|url=http://www.theworldreporter.com/2011/03/jem-top-commander-killed-in-encounter.html|title=JeM top commander killed in encounter in Kashmir|newspaper=World Reporter|author=Sanskar Shrivastava|date=10 March 2011|access-date=10 March 2011|archive-date=17 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417055044/https://www.theworldreporter.com/2011/03/jem-top-commander-killed-in-encounter.html|url-status=live}}</ref> A majority of the members of Harkat are said to have followed Azhar into the newly founded group, leaving Harkat under-funded and under-supported.<ref name=congressional/><ref name=braman/>
==History== ===2000–2001=== On 20 April 2000, JeM carried out the first suicide bombing in Kashmir, exploding a bomb in an Indian army barracks. Five Indian soldiers were killed.{{sfnp|Rashid, Descent into Chaos|2012|loc=Chapter 6}} {{Jihadism sidebar}} {{Islamism sidebar}} Following the September 11 attacks in the United States, the Musharraf government joined the United States in the war on terror, assuming that the move would give it a free hand in supporting militancy in Kashmir.{{sfnp|Rashid, Descent into Chaos|2012|loc=Chapter 6}} In October 2001, JeM carried out a bombing near the Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly, killing 38 people and claiming responsibility for it.<ref>[https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1574225.stm Militants attack Kashmir assembly], BBC News, 1 October 2001</ref> In December 2001, JeM and LeT militants launched a ''fidayeen'' attack on the Indian Parliament waging a battle with the security personnel.<ref name=Riedel/> Eight security personnel and a gardener were killed, but the attack was foiled. JeM claimed responsibility for the attack, but removed the announcement a day later under pressure from the ISI.{{sfnp|Popovic, The Perils of Weak Organization|2015|p=926}} The Indian Government accused the LeT and JeM of being involved in the attack. Subsequently, four JeM members were caught by Indian authorities and put on trial. All four were found guilty of playing various roles in the incident. One of the accused, Afzal Guru, was sentenced to death.<ref name="4 convicted in attack">{{usurped|[https://web.archive.org/web/20090111094828/http://www.hinduonnet.com/2002/12/17/stories/2002121705260100.htm 4 convicted in attack]}}. ''The Hindu'', 17 December 2002. Retrieved 8 September 2011.</ref>
Security specialist Bruce Riedel comments that even by the standards of modern terrorism, this was an extraordinary attack. If the Prime Minister or a senior party leader of India was killed in the attack, India would have been forced to retaliate militarily.{{sfnp|Riedel, Deadly Embrace|2012|p=69}} In the event, India called the terror attack an "attack on democracy" and began large-scale troop mobilisation at the India-Pakistan border, launching the largest war games in fifteen years. Pakistan retaliated by launching its own war games, moving troops from the Afghan border to the Indian border. The United States, annoyed with the dilution of the war on terror as well as the threat of an Indo-Pakistani war, delivered an ultimatum to Musharraf, asking him to make "a clear statement to the world that he intends to crack down on terror". Pushed to a corner, Musharraf announced on 12 January 2002 that no organisation would be allowed to indulge in terrorism in the name of Kashmir. He declared a ban on five extremist groups including the JeM. Hundreds of militants were rounded up, states Ahmed Rashid, giving rise to severe hostility and derision from them. However, by March 2002, all the arrested militants were freed and curbs on them were quietly lifted.{{sfnp|Rashid, Descent into Chaos|2012|loc=Chapter 6}} Financial and intelligence inputs to JeM were resumed. Masood Azhar was released under a court order.{{sfnp|Popovic, The Perils of Weak Organization|2015|p=927}}
===Bans, revolts and split=== Earlier in 2001, when the group anticipated that the US State Department would declare it a foreign Islamic jihadist organisation, it renamed itself ''Tehrik-ul-Furqan'' and transferred its assets to low-profile supporters. JeM was declared a foreign Islamic jihadist organisation by the United Nations in October 2001 and by the US in December 2001.{{sfnp|Gunaratna & Kam, Handbook of Terrorism|2016|p=230}}
In response to the January 2002 ban by Pakistan, JeM changed its name to '''Khuddam ul-Islam'''. Khuddam was also banned in 2003, after which it re-branded itself as a charity called ''Al-Rehmat Trust'' through which they are accused of raising funds for their activities.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.timesnownews.com/business-economy/economy/article/how-jaish-e-mohammed-funding-terror-acts-heres-a-look-at-its-source-of-income/373997 | title=How Jaish-e-Mohammed funds terror acts. Here's a look at its source of income | date=28 February 2019 | access-date=23 August 2022 | archive-date=23 August 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220823133925/https://www.timesnownews.com/business-economy/economy/article/how-jaish-e-mohammed-funding-terror-acts-heres-a-look-at-its-source-of-income/373997 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="congressional"/><ref name=rebirth/>
By this time, the JeM had split into two groups, due to conflicts among the members. Three JeM commanders, Abdul Jabbar, Maulana Umar Farooq and Abdullah Shah Mazhar, left the group and formed ''Jamaat ul-Furqan''. The remaining group that stayed with Masood Azhar used the name ''Khuddam ul-Islam''.{{sfnp|Gunaratna & Kam, Handbook of Terrorism|2016|p=230}}
The rank and file of the JeM were angered by Musharraf's U-turn in joining the war on terror. By staying loyal to the Pakistani state, Masood Azhar lost majority support in the JeM Supreme Council, who demanded his resignation. Particularly influential among the rebels was Maulana Abdul Jabbar, whose faction led a ''jihad'' against what they called the "slave" government of Pakistan and the US influence upon it. They were supported by Al Qaeda, and joined by members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Harkatul Mujahideen.{{sfnp|Popovic, The Perils of Weak Organization|2015|p=927}}
From March to September 2002, the rebels carried out suicide missions on Pakistani officials in cities like Islamabad, Karachi, Murree, Taxila and Bahawalpur. After the fall of the Taliban government, the JeM activists returning from Afghanistan attacked Christian churches, Shia mosques and diplomatic missions inside Pakistan. The ISI demanded Masood Azhar to rein in the rank-and-file. However he had lost control over them. He maintained that they were already expelled from the organisation and the state should arrest them. In fact, most of the factions remained within the JeM and competed with the parent organisation for authority and resources. Some rebellious factions gathered around Abdul Jabbar who launched ''Jamaat-ul-Furqan'' in late 2002. The rebel factions were supported by "rogue" members of the ISI. In November 2003, the Musharraf government banned the renamed ''Khuddam ul-Islam'' as well as ''Jamaat-ul-Furqan''. Then the rebels carried out two assassination attempts on President Musharraf himself, on 14 December and 25 December 2003. There was evidence of Pakistan military members providing logistical support for the attempts. The explosives used in the bombings were traced to an Al Qaeda camp in South Waziristan. Masood Azhar too had publicly called for the assassination of Musharraf.{{sfnp|Popovic, The Perils of Weak Organization|2015|pp=927-928}}
Eventually, the government cracked down on the rogue elements in the military and intelligence establishments. More than a hundred members were apprehended and dismissed, with some members being sentenced to death. However, the majority of the militant infrastructure was left intact. Azhar's group, which had fallen into relative obscurity by 2004, was allowed to rebuild itself after the problematic portions of the leadership were purged.{{sfnp|Popovic, The Perils of Weak Organization|2015|p=929}} The rebellious factions eventually realigned themselves with Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (Pakistani Taliban) in 2007.<ref name=thedead/>
===Revival=== Masood Azhar stayed loyal to the Pakistani state after 2004. Pakistan in turn protected his group despite the official bans. The group continued to grow in Bahawalpur.<ref name=thedead/> In 2009, it was reported to have built a large 6.5 acre walled complex in Bahawalpur, along with a swimming pool and a stable for a dozen horses, which could be used for training militants.<ref name=mcclatchy/> ''India Today'' later revealed that the complex has been branded as 'Jamia Masjid Subhan Allah' and that it was 8 km. away from the headquarters of Pakistan Army's XXXI Corps.<ref>[https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/pulwama-terror-attack-jaish-e-mohammed-headquarters-in-pakistan-bahawalpur-india-today-exclusive-1457818-2019-02-16 JeM chief gets Osama-style protection: India Today zeroes in on Jaish den in Pakistan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216173655/https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/pulwama-terror-attack-jaish-e-mohammed-headquarters-in-pakistan-bahawalpur-india-today-exclusive-1457818-2019-02-16 |date=16 February 2019 }}, ''India Today'', 16 February 2019.</ref> In the centre of the city, the group ran an "imposing" madrassa, attended by hundreds of children every year. In 2008, the organization held a massive three-day rally in the city, with its own armed security guards posted at all the entrances to the city centre. The police were conspicuous by their absence.<ref name=mcclatchy/>
Masood Azhar kept a low profile for several years until he resurfaced in 2014, giving fiery speeches calling for more attacks on India and the United States. He boasted of having 300 suicide attackers at his command and threatened to kill Narendra Modi if he were to become the Prime Minister.<ref name=Riedel/><ref name=Kugelman>{{citation |author=Michael Kugelman |title=Five Pakistani Militants we should be Paying More Attention to |newspaper=War on the Rocks |date=1 May 2014 |url=http://warontherocks.com/2014/05/five-pakistani-militants-we-should-be-paying-more-attention-to/ |access-date=7 October 2016 |archive-date=10 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010043413/http://warontherocks.com/2014/05/five-pakistani-militants-we-should-be-paying-more-attention-to/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Bruce Riedel connects the revival of JeM to the return to office of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who had long advocated a 'détente' with India. The developing links between him and the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, especially following the latter's visit to Lahore on the Christmas Day in 2015, angered the group.<ref name=Riedel/>
===2016=== A week after Narendra Modi's visit to Pakistan, the group launched an attack on the Pathankot air base in which seven security personnel were killed. This was immediately followed by an attack on the Indian consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif in Afghanistan.<ref name=Riedel/> Both India and Pakistan condemned the attack and stayed on course with their peace process. Pakistan has also followed on the leads provided by India and carried out raids on the offices of JeM. It announced the formation of a joint investigation team with India to investigate the attack.<ref name=SumitKumar>{{citation |author=Sumit Kumar |title=The Pathankot Airbase Attack and the Future of India-Pakistan Relations |url=https://thediplomat.com/2016/01/the-pathankot-airbase-attack-and-the-future-of-india-pakistan-relations/ |newspaper=The Diplomat |date=12 January 2016 |access-date=7 October 2016 |archive-date=10 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910062958/http://thediplomat.com/2016/01/the-pathankot-airbase-attack-and-the-future-of-india-pakistan-relations/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It was also announced that Masood Azhar was taken into "protective custody".<ref>{{citation |author=Ankit Panda |title=Post-Pathankot Attack, Pakistani Investigative Team Arrives in India |url=https://thediplomat.com/2016/03/post-pathankot-attack-pakistani-investigative-team-arrives-in-india/ |newspaper=The Diplomat |date=29 March 2016 |access-date=7 October 2016 |archive-date=6 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161006223349/http://thediplomat.com/2016/03/post-pathankot-attack-pakistani-investigative-team-arrives-in-india/ |url-status=live }}</ref> However, JeM issued a statement denying that anybody had been arrested.<ref>{{cite news |last=Swami |first=Praveen |author-link=Praveen Swami |date=15 January 2016 |title=No one arrested, we are still in business, says Jaish-e-Mohammad |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/no-one-arrested-we-are-still-in-business-says-jaish-e-muhammad/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160825101834/http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/no-one-arrested-we-are-still-in-business-says-jaish-e-muhammad/ |archive-date=25 August 2016 |access-date=7 October 2016 |newspaper=The Indian Express}}</ref>
In April 2016, the JeM chief Masood Azhar was said to be free but "within reach, if needed". According to Riaz Hussain Pirzada, the Member of National Assembly from Bahawalpur, the "breeding grounds" still remained and the madrassas were still being financed.<ref name=livesfreely>[http://www.hindustantimes.com/world/pakistan-didn-t-detain-masood-azhar-after-pathankot-attack-report/story-QlXZi7xMlPtaPNF1ZVg1NJ.html JeM's Azhar lives freely in Pakistan, govt never detained him: Report] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161005073455/http://www.hindustantimes.com/world/pakistan-didn-t-detain-masood-azhar-after-pathankot-attack-report/story-QlXZi7xMlPtaPNF1ZVg1NJ.html |date=5 October 2016 }}, ''Hindustan Times'', 26 April 2016.</ref> According to an official, Nawaz Sharif ordered the Counterterrorism Department to crack down on the organisation but, in a high-level meeting, the army chief General Raheel Sharif pressured the Prime Minister to hand over the crackdown to the Army, after which "no one knows what happened".<ref name=rebirth>{{citation |author=Umer Ali |title=Pakistan: The Rebirth of Jihad |url=https://thediplomat.com/2016/08/pakistan-the-rebirth-of-jihad/ |newspaper=The Diplomat |date=18 August 2016 |access-date=2 October 2016 |archive-date=3 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161003082130/http://thediplomat.com/2016/08/pakistan-the-rebirth-of-jihad/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Dawn'' reported the Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif as saying that, whenever civilian authorities took action against certain groups, the security establishment worked behind the scenes to set them free. The government however denied the accuracy of the report.<ref>{{citation |author=Cyril Almeida |author-link=Cyril Almeida |title=Exclusive: Act against militants or face international isolation, civilians tell military |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1288350/exclusive-act-against-militants-or-face-international-isolation-civilians-tell-military |newspaper=Dawn |date=7 October 2016 |access-date=6 October 2016 |archive-date=6 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161006070409/http://www.dawn.com/news/1288350/exclusive-act-against-militants-or-face-international-isolation-civilians-tell-military |url-status=live }}</ref>
Following the onset of the 2016 Kashmir unrest in Indian Jammu and Kashmir, all the ''jihadi'' groups in Pakistan held rallies in major cities like Lahore. The JeM was seen openly raising funds for ''jihad''.<ref name=rebirth/> In September 2016, ''jihadi'' militants attacked the Indian brigade headquarters in Uri, close to the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. The attack resulted in the death of 19 soldiers, described as the deadliest attack in over two decades. India suspected JeM for the attack. It also made its feelings felt with heavy rhetoric, the Indian Home Minister calling Pakistan a "terrorist state" and noting that the perpetrators were "highly trained, heavily armed, and specially equipped". Pakistan denied involvement.<ref name=options>{{cite news |author=Ankit Panda |url=https://thediplomat.com/2016/09/gurdaspur-pathankot-and-now-uri-what-are-indias-options/ |title=Gurdaspur, Pathankot, and Now Uri: What Are India's Options? |newspaper=The Diplomat |date=19 September 2016 |access-date=7 October 2016 |archive-date=16 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116200050/https://thediplomat.com/2016/09/gurdaspur-pathankot-and-now-uri-what-are-indias-options/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Subsequently in November 2016, the Nagrota Army base attack was orchestrated. All hostages were unharmed but multiple casualties were reported from the Indian Army while trying to defuse the situation.{{citation needed|date=June 2025}}
India then launched a diplomatic offensive, trying to isolate Pakistan in the world community. On 28 September, it declared that it had carried out "surgical strikes" on alleged JeM camps in Pakistani-administered Kashmir. The claim was however denied by Pakistan.<ref>{{cite news |author=Ankit Panda |url=https://thediplomat.com/2016/09/indian-forces-cross-line-of-control-to-carry-out-surgical-strikes-first-takeaways/ |title=Indian Forces Cross Line of Control to Carry Out 'Surgical Strikes': First Takeaways |newspaper=The Diplomat |date=29 September 2016 |access-date=7 October 2016 |archive-date=30 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160930180104/https://thediplomat.com/2016/09/indian-forces-cross-line-of-control-to-carry-out-surgical-strikes-first-takeaways/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
=== 2019 === On 14 February 2019, Jaish-e-Mohammed carried out and claimed responsibility<ref>{{cite news|title=Kashmir Pulwama Terror Attack LIVE News Updates|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/jammu-and-kashmir-eight-crpf-injured-in-awantipora-ied-blast-militants-pulwama-live5584067/|access-date=18 February 2019|newspaper=Indian Express|archive-date=18 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190218075748/https://indianexpress.com/article/india/jammu-and-kashmir-eight-crpf-injured-in-awantipora-ied-blast-militants-pulwama-live5584067/|url-status=live}}</ref> for a suicide attack in Lathpora near Awantipora in Kashmir's Pulwama District on a convoy of security forces, killing least 40 Indian personnel. A bus carrying 39 Central Reserve Police Force personnel was rammed by a car carrying 350 kg of explosives.<ref name="TOI Pulwama">{{cite news |title=Jaish terrorists attack CRPF convoy in Kashmir, kill at least 40 personnel |newspaper=The Times of India |date=14 February 2019 |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/36-crpf-jawans-martyred-in-ied-blast-in-jks-pulwama/articleshow/67992189.cms |access-date=14 February 2019 |archive-date=14 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214233423/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/36-crpf-jawans-martyred-in-ied-blast-in-jks-pulwama/articleshow/67992189.cms |url-status=live }}</ref>
On 26 February 2019, 12 Indian Air Force Mirage 2000 jets crossed the Line of Control, and dropped precision-guided bombs on an alleged Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp in Balakot, a town in the Khyber province of Pakistan.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Highlights: France Strongly Supports India's Fight Against Cross-Border Terrorism|url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/indian-air-force-strikes-terror-camps-across-line-of-control-reports-live-updates-1999288|access-date=2021-05-20|website=NDTV.com|archive-date=20 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520183307/https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/indian-air-force-strikes-terror-camps-across-line-of-control-reports-live-updates-1999288|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-02-27|title='Get ready for our surprise': Pakistan warns India it will respond to airstrikes|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/26/pakistan-india-jets-breached-ceasefire-line-kashmir-bomb|access-date=2021-05-20|website=The Guardian|language=en|archive-date=3 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230803195244/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/26/pakistan-india-jets-breached-ceasefire-line-kashmir-bomb|url-status=live}}</ref> The Pakistani government denied that any damage had been caused by the bombs.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2019-03-01|title=Abhinandan: Captured Indian pilot handed back by Pakistan|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47412884|access-date=2021-05-20|archive-date=2 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302131948/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47412884|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-03-01|title=Pakistan returns Indian pilot shot down over Kashmir in peace gesture|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/01/pakistan-hands-back-indian-pilot-shot-down-over-kashmir-in-peace-gesture|access-date=2021-05-20|website=The Guardian|language=en|archive-date=20 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520183841/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/01/pakistan-hands-back-indian-pilot-shot-down-over-kashmir-in-peace-gesture|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/01/pakistan-hands-back-indian-pilot-shot-down-over-kashmir-in-peace-gesture | title=Pakistan returns Indian pilot shot down over Kashmir in 'peace gesture' | newspaper=The Guardian | date=March 2019 | last1=Safi | first1=Michael | last2=Zahra-Malik | first2=Mehreen | access-date=15 November 2019 | archive-date=2 March 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302120826/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/01/pakistan-hands-back-indian-pilot-shot-down-over-kashmir-in-peace-gesture | url-status=live }}</ref>
On 27 August 2019, two members of a nomadic community were killed by militants believed to be members of Jaish-e-Mohammed in the higher reaches of Tral in south Kashmir after they were abducted from their temporary shelter.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/two-nomads-abducted-killed-in-suspected-militant-attack-in-kashmir-s-tral-police/story-8vOLnFveYpF8mTIqP5w0oM.html|title=Two nomads abducted, killed in suspected militant attack in Kashmir's Tral: Police|date=28 August 2019|website=Hindustan Times|access-date=28 August 2019|archive-date=27 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190827230717/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/two-nomads-abducted-killed-in-suspected-militant-attack-in-kashmir-s-tral-police/story-8vOLnFveYpF8mTIqP5w0oM.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
=== 2021 === After the Taliban seizure of Afghanistan, many JeM cadres were released, the JeM and Taliban have held meetings and the JeM has been assured of all support in carrying out its activities in India.<ref>{{cite news |title=JeM planning attacks in India, say reports |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/jem-planning-attacks-in-india-say-reports/article36120687.ece |work=The Hindu |location=New Delhi |date=26 August 2021 |access-date=27 August 2021 |archive-date=29 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210829170201/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/jem-planning-attacks-in-india-say-reports/article36120687.ece |url-status=live }}</ref> The Hindustan Times reported on Oct 27, 2021 that JeM's leader Masood Azhar met w/ Taliban leaders including Mullah Baradar in Khandar in late August 2021 seeking their help in the Kashmir fight.
=== 2025 === {{Main|2025 India–Pakistan conflict}}
On 7 May 2025, India said that it launched missile strikes on JeM base camps in Bahawalpur, Pakistan in retaliation for the Pahalgam attack. Masood Azhar later claimed that several of his family members were killed in the strikes.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Mogul |first1=Rhea |last2=Saifi |first2=Sophia |last3=Iyer |first3=Aishwarya S. |last4=Sangal |first4=Aditi |last5=Hammond |first5=Elise |last6=Powell |first6=Tori B. |last7=Yeung |first7=Jessie |last8=Harvey |first8=Lex |last9=Radford |first9=Antoinette |date=2025-05-06 |title=May 7, 2025 India launches attacks on Pakistan after Kashmir massacre |url=https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/india-pakistan-attack-kashmir-tourists-intl-hnk |access-date=2025-05-09 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title='No Regret, No Despair': 10 Of Masood Azhar's Family Killed In Op Sindoor |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/pahalgam-terror-attack-operation-sindoor-masood-azhar-terror-mastermind-masood-azhar-says-10-family-members-killed-in-op-sindoor-8352368 |access-date=2025-05-09 |website=www.ndtv.com |language=en}}</ref> According to Indian officials, his brother, Abdul Rauf Azhar who took the command of JeM on 21 April 2007, was killed in the strikes.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2025-05-08 |title=Who was Rauf Azhar, IC 814 hijacking mastermind killed in 'Operation Sindoor'? |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/who-is-rauf-azhar-jem-chiefs-brother-who-died-in-operation-sindoor-attack-101746700088974.html|access-date=2025-05-09 |work=Hindustan Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2025-05-09 |title=Operation Sindoor eliminates top Jaish-e-Mohammad leadership including Abdul Rauf Azhar |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/operation-sindoor-eliminates-top-jaish-e-mohammad-leadership-including-abdul-rauf-azhar/articleshow/121000967.cms |access-date=2025-05-09 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref> Though this remains unconfirmed, other reports which list wanted terrorist claimed to have been killed in the strikes do not include his name. Masood Azhar, who confirmed the death of 10 members of his family in a statement, also did not list his name among those killed in the strikes.<ref name="Sridevi">{{Cite web |last=Sridevi |first=Prema |title=Masood Azhar, JeM Founder: Is His Brother Dead or Alive? |url=https://theprobe.in/security/masood-azhar-jem-founder-is-his-brother-dead-or-alive-9057210 |access-date=2025-05-13 |website=theprobe.in |language=en}}</ref>
In September 2025, rare admissions from top JeM commanders confirmed the destruction of their training camps in Bahawalpur. At the 38th annual Mission Mustafa conference, Jaish-e-Muhammad commander Masood Ilyas Kashmiri revealed that Indian forces "tore into pieces" the family members of Masood Azhar during the strike in Bahawalpur, and accused Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir of sending generals to the funerals of slain terrorists.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-09-16 |title=Masood Azhar's family 'torn into pieces' in Operation Sindoor, Jaish commander admits {{!}} Video |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/jaish-commander-admits-masood-azhars-family-torn-into-pieces-in-op-sindoor-strikes-video-101758007988790.html |access-date=2025-09-22 |website=Hindustan Times |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Jonko |first=Anushree |date=2025-09-16 |title=How Jaish Member Exposed Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir's Terror Tango |url=https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/how-jaish-leader-masood-ilyas-kashmiri-exposed-pakistans-army-chief-asim-munirs-terror-tango-9288258 |access-date=2025-09-21 |work=NDTV}}</ref>
After 12 May, India subsequently conducted more operations in Jammu and Kashmir. On 15 May, Asif Ahmed Sheikh, Amir Nazir Wani, and Yawar Ahmad Bhat — all residents of Pulwama district who were identified as JeM associates — were killed in an encounter with Indian security forces in Tral’s Nadir village. They were reportedly shot dead after opening fire on troops during a cordon and search operation based on specific intelligence about their presence.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-05-15 |title=Drone footage shows Jaish terrorists taking cover before being killed in J&K |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/jammu-kashmir-tral-encounter-drone-footage-jaish-terrorists-hiding-army-2725155-2025-05-15 |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Army Details How 6 Terrorists Were Eliminated In 2 Encounters In J&K |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/operation-sindoor-indian-army-details-how-6-terrorists-were-eliminated-in-2-encounters-in-jammu-and-kashmir-8428064 |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=www.ndtv.com |language=en}}</ref>
In July 2025, Sunil Bahadur Thapa, Advisor to the President of Nepal and former Minister of Industry, warned that groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed could potentially exploit Nepal as a transit point for its activities in India, raising concerns about regional security.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2025-07-09 |title=LeT-Jaish terrorists from Pakistan may use Nepal as transit to enter India |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/let-jaish-terrorists-from-pakistan-may-use-nepal-as-transit-to-enter-india/articleshow/122347480.cms?from=mdr |access-date=2025-07-11 |work=The Economic Times |issn=0013-0389}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Experts in Nepal underscore greater collaboration among South Asian nations to combat terrorism |url=https://www.theweek.in/wire-updates/international/2025/07/09/fes36-nepal-terrorism-experts.html |access-date=2025-07-11 |website=The Week |language=en}}</ref>
==Ideology and goals== The declared objective of the JeM is to liberate Kashmir and merge it with Pakistan. However, it projects Kashmir as a "gateway" to all of India, whose Muslims are deemed to be in need of liberation. After liberating Kashmir, it aims to carry out its activities in other parts of India, with an intent to drive Hindus and other non-Muslims from the Indian subcontinent.{{sfnp|Gunaratna & Kam, Handbook of Terrorism|2016|p=229}}<ref name=mapping>{{cite web |title=Jaish-e-Mohammed |url=https://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/groups/view/95 |work=Mapping Militant Organizations |publisher=Stanford University |access-date=7 October 2016 |archive-date=2 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160902015517/https://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/groups/view/95 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="j814">{{cite web | last=Hashim | first=Asad | title=Profile: What is Jaish-e-Muhammad? | website=Al Jazeera | date=1 May 2019 | url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/5/1/profile-what-is-jaish-e-muhammad | access-date=2 July 2024}}</ref>
JeM also aims to drive the United States and Western forces from Afghanistan.<ref name=mapping/><ref name=NCTC>{{cite web |title=Jaish-e-Mohammed |url=https://www.nctc.gov/site/groups/jem.html |work=Counter Terrorism Guide |publisher=United States National Counter Terrorism Center |access-date=7 October 2016 |archive-date=10 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010214512/https://www.nctc.gov/site/groups/jem.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The JeM leader Masood Azhar is reported to have said in a speech in Karachi: {{blockquote|Marry for jihad, give birth for jihad and earn money only for jihad till the cruelty of America and India ends.<ref>Quoted in {{harvp|Rashid, Descent into Chaos|2012|loc=Chapter 6}}; See also {{harvp|Innes, Inside British Islam|2014|loc=Chapter 1}}</ref>}} In late 2002, Christians were targeted across Pakistan and the gunmen belonging to JeM were caught for the acts.{{sfnp|Rashid, Descent into Chaos|2012|loc=Chapter 8}} Some members have attacked members of the Pakistani state and western targets inside Pakistan.{{sfnp|Gunaratna & Kam, Handbook of Terrorism|2016|p=229}} Jewish American journalist Daniel Pearl was abducted and murdered by Ahmed Omar Sheikh.{{sfnp|Rashid, Descent into Chaos|2012|loc=Chapter 8}}
==Organization== ===Leadership=== JeM's founder and leader (''emir'') is Maulana Masood Azhar, who had earlier been a leader of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen. Having trained at the same religious seminary (Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia in Karachi) as the Taliban founder Mullah Omar, he had long-standing connections to Taliban and Al Qaeda.<ref name="Roggio 2016">{{cite news|author=Bill Roggio|date=16 January 2016|title=Pakistan again puts Jaish-e-Mohammed leader under 'protective custody'|newspaper=The Long War Journal|url=https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2016/01/pakistan-again-puts-jaish-e-mohammed-leader-under-protective-custody.php|quote='In 2008, JEM recruitment posters in Pakistan contained a call from Azhar for volunteers to join the fight in Afghanistan against Western forces,' according to the US Treasury's 2010 designation of the group's emir.|access-date=18 October 2016|archive-date=4 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404182743/https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2016/01/pakistan-again-puts-jaish-e-mohammed-leader-under-protective-custody.php|url-status=live}}</ref> He had fought in Afghanistan and set up Harkat affiliates in Chechnya, Central Asia and Somalia. He was reputed to have taught the Somalis how to shoot down American Black Hawk helicopters.{{sfnp|Rashid, Descent into Chaos|2012|loc=Chapter 6}} He was regarded as a close associate of Osama bin Laden, when he was sent to Britain for fund raising in the early 1990s.{{sfnp|Innes, Inside British Islam|2014|loc=?}} In 1994, Azhar went to Indian-administered Kashmir on a "mission" and got arrested by Indian security forces. Reportedly, Osama bin Laden wanted Azhar freed and ordered Al Qaeda to arrange the hijacking that led to his release. Subsequently, Azhar was lionized in Pakistan and promoted by the ISI as the leader of the new group Jaish-e-Mohammed.{{sfnp|Rashid, Descent into Chaos|2012|loc=Chapter 6}} Azhar was specially designated as a "global Islamic terrorist" by the United States Treasury Department in 2010.<ref name="Roggio 2016"/>
JeM is run by Azhar's family like a family enterprise.<ref name="The Hindu fortifying">{{cite news |title=India fortifying case to put Jaish on ban list |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/india-fortifying-case-to-put-jaish-on-ban-list/article26426600.ece |access-date=14 March 2019 |work=The Hindu |date=4 March 2019 |language=en-IN |archive-date=28 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028113929/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/india-fortifying-case-to-put-jaish-on-ban-list/article26426600.ece |url-status=live }}</ref> Masood Azhar's brother, Abdul Rauf Asghar, is a senior leader of JeM and its intelligence coordinator. He was one of the hijackers of the flight IC 814 and served as the "acting leader" of JeM in Masood Azhar's absence in 2007. Since 2008, he has been involved with organising suicide attacks in India, including the 2016 Pathankot attack, where he was found to have directed the militants via telephone. Abdul Rauf Asghar has also been designated as a "global terrorists" by the United States Treasury Department.<ref name="Roggio 2010">{{cite news |author=Bill Roggio |title=US designates Pakistan-based leaders of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Jaish-e-Mohammed as terrorists |url=http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2010/12/us_designates_pakist.php |newspaper=The Long War Journal |date=2 December 2010 |access-date=7 October 2016 |archive-date=7 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101207063250/http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2010/12/us_designates_pakist.php |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>[http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-to-submit-watertight-case-to-unsc-on-masood-azhar/article9173954.ece India giving 'final touches' to its UNSC proposal on Masood Azhar] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161001150445/http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-to-submit-watertight-case-to-unsc-on-masood-azhar/article9173954.ece |date=1 October 2016 }}, ''The Hindu'', 1 October 2016.</ref> In 2023, one of its commanders, Shahid Latif, was mysteriously assassinated in a mosque in Daska, Sialkot<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-10-12 |title=2016 Pathankot attack handler Shahid Latif gunned down in Pakistan mosque |work=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/2016-pathankot-attack-handler-shahid-latif-gunned-down-in-pakistan-mosque/articleshow/104333586.cms?from=mdr |access-date=2023-11-18 |issn=0971-8257 |archive-date=18 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231118213931/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/2016-pathankot-attack-handler-shahid-latif-gunned-down-in-pakistan-mosque/articleshow/104333586.cms?from=mdr |url-status=live }}</ref>
===Membership=== The launch of JeM in Karachi in 2000 was attended by 10,000 armed followers.{{sfnp|Innes, Inside British Islam|2014|loc=Chapter 1}} The majority of the early membership was drawn from Harkat-ul-Mujahideen.<ref name=congressional/> Having fought in Afghanistan alongside the Taliban and Al Qaeda, these members carried loyalty to those organisations and enmity towards the United States.{{sfnp|Popovic, The Perils of Weak Organization|2015|pp=921, 925, 926}}
Approximately three-quarters of JeM's membership is drawn from Punjab in Pakistan, from Multan, Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan districts. This region being the main ethnic origin of the Pakistani military corps, ISI believed that the shared ethnicity would make the JeM aligned to the military's strategic goals. There are also a large number of Afghans and Arabs.{{sfnp|Popovic, The Perils of Weak Organization|2015|p=926}}{{sfnp|Honawar, Jaish-e-Mohammed|2005|p=2}} Several western militants of Pakistani origin have also joined the organisation. Prominent among them are Rashid Rauf, who was involved with a 2006 plot to blow up transatlantic airliners, Shehzad Tanweer, who was involved with the 2005 London Underground bombings, and Ahmed Omar Sheikh, convicted of murdering Daniel Pearl.<ref name=mcclatchy/>
Following the split in 2002, the majority of the original fighters left the parent organisation and joined renegade groups. When the organisation was revived by 2009, JeM was believed to have between one and two thousand fighters and several thousand supporting personnel.{{sfnp|Popovic, The Perils of Weak Organization|2015|p=929}} Masood Azhar claimed to have 300 suicide attackers at his command.<ref name=Riedel/>
===Infrastructure=== JeM originally operated training camps in Afghanistan, jointly with the other militant groups. After the fall of the Taliban government, it relocated them to Balakot and Peshawar in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.{{sfnp|Honawar, Jaish-e-Mohammed|2005|p=3}} By 2009, it developed a new headquarters in Bahawalpur in Pakistani Punjab, 420 miles south of Islamabad. These include a madrassa in the centre of the city and a 6.5 acre walled complex that serves as a training facility, including water training and horse back riding. Bahawalpur also serves as a rest and recuperation facility for jihadists fighting in Afghanistan, away from the areas of US drone attacks. It is also close to the bases of other militant groups with which JeM is believed to have operational ties: Lashkar-e-Taiba in Muridke, Sipah-e-Sahaba in Gojra, and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi also based in Punjab. There are at least 500–1000 other madrassas in Bahawalpur, most of which teach a violent version of Islam to children.<ref name=mcclatchy/><ref> {{cite news |author=Praveen Swami |author-link=Praveen Swami |title=Behind terror attack, a reborn jihad empire |newspaper=The Indian Express |date=3 January 2016 }}</ref>
==== Redevelopment efforts after Indian airstrikes ==== Following the destruction of JeM's key facilities—including its headquarters, Markaz Subhanallah, and four additional training camps namely Markaz Bilal, Markaz Abbas, Mahmona Zoya, and Sargal—in Indian strikes conducted under Operation Sindoor on 7 May 2025, the group initiated a large-scale reconstruction effort. Indian Intelligence reports indicated that JeM launched a PKR 3.91 billion fundraising campaign aimed at rebuilding these centers and establishing new '313' Markaz centers. Each new markaz was projected to cost PKR 12.5 million, with funding primarily being solicited via digital wallets. Reports also suggested that the Pakistani government had announced plans to redevelop the destroyed centers, and that appeals for donations were being circulated through social media platforms linked to JeM. India blames Pakistan for deliberately avoiding monitoring of the digital wallets.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />
==== Jamat ul-Muminat ==== JeM's first women's brigade, Jamat ul-Muminat was announced in October 2025 by JeM's propaganda outlet Al-Qalam Media. A letter signed by JeM chief Masood Azhar disclosed the course of action. According to reports, the new unit's recruitment process started on October 8 in Markaz Usman-o-Ali in Bahawalpur, Pakistan. Sadiya Azhar, the sister of Masood Azhar, will lead the women's wing. It was disclosed that the group has begun recruiting economically disadvantaged women who are enrolled in its facilities in Bahawalpur, Karachi, Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Haripur, and Mansehra, as well as the wives of JeM commanders. This new female brigade was created as a result of Masood Azhar and his brother Talha al-Saif's joint approval of the decision to include women in JeM's operational framework after the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor. Its purpose is to prepare and employ female suicide bombers for terrorist acts.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sibbal |first=Siddhant |date=2025-10-09 |title=Jaish-e-Mohammed forms women's brigade 'Jamaat-ul-Mominaat' under Masood Azhar's sister; recruitment drive starts in Bahawalpur |url=https://www.wionews.com/world/jaish-e-mohammed-forms-women-s-brigade-jamaat-ul-mominaat-under-masood-azhar-s-sister-recruitment-drive-starts-in-bahawalpur-1759997385096 |access-date=2025-11-14 |website=Wion |language=en}}</ref> In an attempt to increase recruitment and generate money for its women's wing, JeM has introduced an online course called Tufat al-Muminat. Through theological and jihad-focused instruction, the online course seeks to attract and brainwash women into joining JeM's female wing. Masood Azhar's sisters, Sadiya, Safia, Samaira, and Afreera Farooq, wife of Pulwama attack conspirator Umar Farooq will conduct the 40-minute daily sessions via online platforms starting on November 8. A donation of ₹500 (in Pakistani rupee) is requested from each participant. In the sessions, they will learn about their responsibilities from the standpoint of Islam and jihad from female family members of JeM leaders. The goal is to create a women's force that is modeled after the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Hamas, and the Islamic State.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-10-22 |title=Jaish launches online 'jihadi course' to recruit women; Masood Azhar's sisters, Pulwama bomber's wife to lead training |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/jaish-launches-online-jihadi-course-to-recruit-women-masood-azhar-s-sisters-pulwama-bomber-s-wife-to-lead-training-101761108438292.html |access-date=2025-11-14 |website=Hindustan Times |language=en}}</ref>
Indian security officials detained Dr. Shaheen Shahid in Faridabad following the 2025 Delhi car explosion. Shahid was tasked with the establishment and leadership of Jamat ul-Muminat in India. According to investigative agencies, Shaheen Shahid, who communicated with handlers in Pakistan via social media, may have been given the direct assignment by Sadia Azhar to increase the JeM's recruitment base by rallying supporters of the group's actions in India.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ojha |first=Arvind |last2=Srivastava |first2=Samarth |last3=Chawla |first3=Simer |last4=Jha |first4=Anuja |date=2025-11-11 |title=Who is Dr Shaheen, professor-turned-Jaish recruiter arrested in terror module case? |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/dr-shaheen-professor-turned-jaish-recruiter-arrested-in-terror-module-case-2817726-2025-11-11 |access-date=2025-11-14 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref> At Al-Falah University, the Haryana Police Bomb Disposal Squad found a silver Suzuki Brezza on 13 November 2025 that belonged to Dr. Shaheen Shahid. The vehicle was one of many that were meant to be used in the terror bombing.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sharma |first=Nikhil |date=2025-11-13 |title=Delhi blast probe deepens: 3rd terror vehicle found; Dr Shaheen Shahid's Maruti Brezza seized from Al-Falah University campus |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/delhi-blast-probe-deepens-3rd-terror-vehicle-found-dr-shaheen-shahids-maruti-brezza-seized-from-al-falah-university-campus/articleshow/125296372.cms |access-date=2025-11-14 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Sengar |first=Mukesh Singh |date=13 November 2025 |title=32 Cars In Red Fort Terrorists' Chilling Plot For Babri Revenge: Sources |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/delhi-red-fort-car-blast-news-delhi-red-fort-terror-attack-live-updates-ford-ecosport-maruti-brezza-hyundai-i20-red-fort-attack-news-9626608 |access-date=14 November 2025 |work=ndtv.com}}</ref>
=== Funding === As of 2025, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), according to claims made by Indian sources, reportedly adopted digital financial technologies to facilitate its funding operations, effectively creating a parallel financial ecosystem. According to investigative reports, JeM utilizes Pakistani fintech platforms such as EasyPaisa and SadaPay to collect and move funds domestically and internationally. These digital wallets enable the group to bypass traditional banking scrutiny, especially following the increased financial monitoring imposed during Pakistan’s engagement with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). JeM is believed to operate over 2,000 active digital wallet accounts, collectively moving an estimated PKR 800–900 million (approximately USD 2.8–3.2 million) annually. The group employs a rotation model whereby funds are cycled through multiple wallets and dispersed into smaller transactions, making tracing and enforcement challenging. These wallets are reportedly linked to senior JeM figures and are used to solicit donations for purported reconstruction efforts, while a substantial portion of the funds is allegedly diverted to procure arms and support operational infrastructure.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2025-08-21 |title=Jaish's Fintech Terror: Inside Masood Azhar's Digital Fundraising Empire - EXCLUSIVE |url=https://www.timesnownews.com/world/asia/jaishs-fintech-terror-inside-masood-azhars-digital-fundraising-empire-exclusive-article-152498957 |access-date=2025-08-21 |website=Times Now |language=en}}</ref> Indian Intelligence report reportedly linked the fundraising activities of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) to several digital wallet accounts. These included a SadaPay account registered under the name Talha Al Saif (also known as Talha Gulzar), associated with a phone number reportedly used by Haripur district commander Aftab Ahmed. Additional accounts included an EasyPaisa wallet operated by Abdullah Azhar, son of JeM founder Masood Azhar, and another belonging to Syed Safdar Shah, a JeM commander in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Reports suggested the group maintains over 250 active EasyPaisa wallets and creates approximately 30 new accounts monthly, potentially to obscure the origins of its funding.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Sharma |first=Shivani |date=2025-08-21 |title=From grey list to digital hawala: Pakistan's dirty trick to keep Jaish alive |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/from-grey-list-to-digital-hawala-pakistans-dirty-trick-to-keep-jaish-alive-glbs-2774388-2025-08-21 |access-date=2025-08-21 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref>
===Publications=== Like other jihadi outfits in the country, JeM distills its ideology through the print media, its publications including the weekly ''Al-Qalam'' in Urdu and English, monthly ''Ayeshatul Binat'' in Urdu for women and weekly ''Musalman Bachy'' for children.<ref>Muhammad Amir Rana, "Jihadi Print Media in Pakistan: An Overview" in ''Conflict and Peace Studies'', vol. 1, no. 1 (Oct-Dec 2008), p. 3</ref> Other E-publications are made on telegram channels usually stating their successes in their operations against the Indian Army and publishing statements of the leadership of the organization<ref>{{Cite web |title=Telegram Channel Urges Muslims To Join Jaish-e-Muhammad, Says: 'Jaish-e-Muhammad Is The Name Of Kashmir's Freedom And Pakistan' |url=https://www.memri.org/jttm/telegram-channel-urges-muslims-join-jaish-e-muhammad-says-jaish-e-muhammad-name-kashmirs |access-date=2023-11-18 |website=MEMRI |language=en |archive-date=18 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231118213931/https://www.memri.org/jttm/telegram-channel-urges-muslims-join-jaish-e-muhammad-says-jaish-e-muhammad-name-kashmirs |url-status=live }}</ref>
===Links to other organisations=== When JeM started, it had strong ties to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, sharing their training camps in Afghanistan, and exchanging intelligence, training and coordination.{{sfnp|Popovic, The Perils of Weak Organization|2015|p=925}} Bruce Riedel suggests that the 2001 Indian Parliament attack was possibly a "payback" to Al-Qaeda for its earlier help in getting Masood Azhar released. With the Indian reaction to the attack, Pakistan was forced to move its forces from the Afghan border to the Indian border, relieving pressure on Al-Qaeda.{{sfnp|Riedel, Deadly Embrace|2012|p=70}}
Most of the JeM members with loyalties to the Taliban left to join renegade groups in 2002. However, Masood Azhar's group was noticed recruiting fighters for the Afghan ''jihad'' in 2008.<ref name="Roggio 2016"/><ref name=mcclatchy/> In 2010, Pakistan's Interior minister Rehman Malik stated that the JeM, along with Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, were allied to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.<ref name="Riedel Al-Qaeda"/><ref>{{citation |author=Jane Perlez |title=Official Admits Militancy's Deep Roots in Pakistan |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/03/world/asia/03pstan.html?_r=0 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=2 June 2010 |access-date=22 October 2016 |archive-date=29 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161029180424/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/03/world/asia/03pstan.html?_r=0 |url-status=live }}</ref> Within South Punjab, the JeM is closely allied to Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Sipah-e-Sahaba. Scholars Abou Zahab and Roy state that the three organisations appear to be "the same party" focusing on different sectors of activity.{{sfnp|Abou Zahab & Roy, Islamist Networks|2004|p=30}}
In October 2000, Masood Azhar, founder of the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed, was quoted as saying that "Sipah-e-Sahaba stands shoulder to shoulder with Jaish-e-Muhammad in Jihad."<ref name="satp">{{cite web |title=Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan |url=https://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/pakistan/terroristoutfits/ssp.htm |access-date=22 February 2022 |publisher=SATP}}</ref> A leaked U.S. diplomatic cable described Jaish-e-Mohammed as "another Sipah-e-Sahaba breakaway Deobandi organisation."<ref name="cable">{{cite news |date=2011-05-22 |title=2009: Southern Punjab extremism battle between haves and have-nots |url=http://www.dawn.com/2011/05/22/2009-southern-punjab-extremism-battle-between-haves-and-have-nots.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524053737/http://www.dawn.com/2011/05/22/2009-southern-punjab-extremism-battle-between-haves-and-have-nots.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 May 2011 |access-date=2011-05-25 |work=DAWN}}</ref>
JeM continues to have links to its ancestor, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen. In addition, the group has operational ties to Lashkar-e-Taiba, which it employed in launching the 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament in New Delhi.<ref name=Riedel/> It joined the ISI-sponsored United Jihad Council, an umbrella organisation of 13–16 militant organisations that fight in Indian-administered Kashmir.<ref>{{citation |first=Christopher |last=Snedden |author-link=Christopher Snedden |title=Kashmir: The Unwritten History |publisher=HarperCollins India |year=2013 |isbn=978-9350298985 |orig-date=first published as ''The Untold Story of the People of Azad Kashmir'', 2012 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0cPjAAAAQBAJ |page=198}} </ref>
'''Khuddam ul-Islam''' is a militant splinter group of the Jaish-e-Mohammed. It is a Proscribed Organisation in the United Kingdom under the Terrorism Act 2000<ref name="Proscribed">{{cite act |title=Terrorism Act 2000 |title-link=Terrorism Act 2000 |date=2000-07-20 |orig-section=sched. 2 |chapter=Proscribed Organisations |reporter=UK Public General Acts |volume=2000 c. 11 |chapter-url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/11/schedule/2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130121085241/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/11/schedule/2 |archive-date=2013-01-21 |url-status=live}}</ref> and said to be politically aligned with Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman's faction of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam.<ref>{{cite web |title=Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM) (Army of MohammedTehrik ul-Furqaan, Khuddam-ul-Islam ) |publisher=Overseas Security Advisory Council |url=http://www.osac.gov/Groups/group.cfm?contentID=1283 |access-date=2009-01-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070805005613/http://www.osac.gov/Groups/group.cfm?contentID=1283 |archive-date= 5 August 2007 }}</ref> Some sources believe that Khuddam ul-Islam is simply a restructuring of JeM and that the group is under the command of Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar, the younger brother of JeM's founder, Maulana Masood Azhar.<ref>{{cite news |last=Subramanian |first=Nirupama |title=Restrictions put on Masood Azhar |newspaper=The Hindu |date=2008-12-18 |url=http://www.hindu.com/2008/12/10/stories/2008121058230100.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081212223734/http://www.hindu.com/2008/12/10/stories/2008121058230100.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2008-12-12 |access-date=2009-01-13}} </ref><ref>{{cite news |title=JeM chief Masood Azhar under house arrest |newspaper=Times of India |date=2008-12-09 |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/JeM_chief_Masood_Azhar_under_house_arrest/articleshow/3811634.cms |access-date=11 February 2017 |archive-date=12 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081212155051/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/JeM_chief_Masood_Azhar_under_house_arrest/articleshow/3811634.cms |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Al-Akhtar Trust== Before being designated as a terrorist organization, Jaish-e-Mohammed established the '''Al-Akhtar Trust''' ({{Langx|ar|ثقة الأختر|translit=Thiqat alʼkhtr}}) in Pakistan.<ref>{{Cite web |title=JAISH-I-MOHAMMED {{!}} United Nations Security Council |url=https://www.un.org/securitycouncil/sanctions/1267/aq_sanctions_list/summaries/entity/jaish-i-mohammed |access-date=2024-01-03 |website=United Nations Security Council}}</ref> The group mostly funded Al-Qaeda and the Taliban and its associates with food, water, and clothing for orphans of "martyrs".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-08-06 |title=Pakistan bans 25 militant organisations |url=http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/provinces/18-25-militant-organisations-banned-am-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090822152942/http://www.dawn.com:80/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/provinces/18-25-militant-organisations-banned-am-02 |archive-date=2009-08-22 |access-date=2024-01-02 |website=Dawn}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-04-06 |title=QE.A.121.05. AL-AKHTAR TRUST INTERNATIONAL |url=https://www.un.org/sc/committees/1267/NSQE12105E.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090521102837/https://www.un.org/sc/committees/1267/NSQE12105E.shtml |archive-date=2009-05-21 |access-date=2024-01-02 |website=United Nations Security Council}}</ref> The organization also funded terrorism in Iraq before being designated as a terrorist organization funder by the United States on October 14, 2003.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-01-25 |title=U.S. DESIGNATES AL AKHTAR TRUST Pakistani Based Charity is Suspected of Raising Money for Terrorists in Iraq |url=https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/js899 |access-date=2024-02-03 |website=U.S. Department of the Treasury |language=en}}</ref>
==Notable attacks== * The group, in co-ordination with Lashkar-e-Taiba, has been implicated in the 2001 Indian Parliament attack in New Delhi.<ref name="congressional" /><ref name=Riedel/> * It has been suspected in the murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl in Karachi.<ref name=bbcprofile/><ref name="mcclatchy"/> * Rahul Gandhi kidnap plot was a failed plot of this militant group to kidnap a prominent Indian political personality in lieu of 42 militant imprisoned in India. Several newspapers reported that the political personality was Rahul Gandhi, scion of the India's Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-30537720071116|title=Police foil Rahul Gandhi kidnap plot|date=16 November 2007|newspaper=Reuters|access-date=11 October 2018|archive-date=9 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181009211146/https://www.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-30537720071116|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Plot to kidnap Rahul foiled |url=http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Layout/Includes/pastissues2/ArtWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=pastissues2&BaseHref=TOIM%2F2007%2F11%2F17&ViewMode=HTML&PageLabel=1&EntityId=Ar00101&AppName=2 |website=Times of India |access-date=26 October 2018 |date=November 17, 2007 |archive-date=9 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109235618/http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Layout/Includes/pastissues2/ArtWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=pastissues2&BaseHref=TOIM%2F2007%2F11%2F17&ViewMode=HTML&PageLabel=1&EntityId=Ar00101&AppName=2 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The three Pakistani nationals were arrested namely Mohammed Abid alias Fateh from Lahore, Yusuf alias Faisal of Multan and Mirza Rashid Beg alias Raja Kajafi of Sialkot.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/jem-plot-to-abduct-rahul-gandhi-foiled/story-Yz3ZyRkt7fOL4qadwBQyhM.html|title=JeM 'plot' to abduct Rahul Gandhi foiled|date=16 November 2007|website=Hindustan Times|access-date=7 February 2022|archive-date=7 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220207020512/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/jem-plot-to-abduct-rahul-gandhi-foiled/story-Yz3ZyRkt7fOL4qadwBQyhM.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/india/indian-police-foil-plot-to-kidnap-rahul-gandhi-1.212722|title=Indian police foil plot to kidnap Rahul Gandhi|website=gulfnews.com|date=16 November 2007|access-date=7 February 2022|archive-date=7 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220207020504/https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/india/indian-police-foil-plot-to-kidnap-rahul-gandhi-1.212722|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/plot-to-abduct-rahul-gandhi-foiled/articleshow/2547120.cms|title=Plot to abduct Rahul Gandhi foiled | India News|website=The Times of India|date=17 November 2007|access-date=7 February 2022|archive-date=7 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220207020512/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/plot-to-abduct-rahul-gandhi-foiled/articleshow/2547120.cms|url-status=live}}</ref> * An informant, posing as a member of Jaish-e-Mohammed, helped police to arrest four people allegedly plotting to bomb a New York City synagogue as well as to shoot Stinger missiles at military aircraft in the United States. The arrest of the four took place in May 2009. One of the four, by the name of James Cromitie, allegedly expressed the desire to join Jaish-e-Mohammed. This expression allegedly took place approximately a year prior to this arrest.<ref> [https://web.archive.org/web/20090523175522/http://www.newsday.com/news/printedition/longisland/ny-nybomb2212791308may21,0,141551.story Kelly: 4 arrested in terror plot 'wanted to commit jihad'] Newsday. </ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN20523965 |work=Reuters |title=Synagogue targeted in NY plot, four charged |date=2009-05-21 |access-date=1 July 2017 |archive-date=24 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124102916/https://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN20523965 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=US men charged over synagogue plot |newspaper=Al Jazeera |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2009/05/200952144536467973.html |access-date=20 May 2015 |archive-date=12 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612075059/http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2009/05/200952144536467973.html |url-status=live}}</ref> * In January 2016, members of the group were suspected of carrying out the Pathankot attack.<ref>{{cite web|title=Pathankot attack: First terrorist was killed while he was climbing 10 ft high wall|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/pathankot-air-force-base-terror-attack-punjab/|website=The Indian Express|date=2 January 2016|access-date=2 January 2016|archive-date=1 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701111706/https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/pathankot-air-force-base-terror-attack-punjab/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rediff.com/news/report/nia-registers-case-in-pathankot-terror-strike/20160104.htm|title=NIA registers case in Pathankot terror strike|website=Rediff|access-date=19 February 2019|archive-date=20 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220002907/https://www.rediff.com/news/report/nia-registers-case-in-pathankot-terror-strike/20160104.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> * On 18 September 2016, the group was accused of carrying out an attack over an army camp at Uri, Kashmir.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-47250994|title=Viewpoint: How far might India go to 'punish' Pakistan?|date=2019-02-15|access-date=2019-02-17|language=en-GB|archive-date=16 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216101856/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-47250994|url-status=live}}</ref> * On 14 February 2019, a suicide bomber of the group, Adil Ahmad Dar, carried out a suicide bombing attack on a convoy of security vehicles near Pulwama, Jammu & Kashmir, killing at least 40 CRPF personnel.<ref name="TOI Pulwama" />
== See also == * List of Deobandi organisations * 2009 detention of Americans by Pakistan * Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir * Abdul Rauf Asghar * Khuddam ul-Islam
== Notes == {{Reflist|group=note}}
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
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{{War on Terrorism|state=collapsed}} {{Kashmir separatist movement}} {{Terror outfits in India}}
Category:2000 establishments in Pakistan Category:Jihadist groups in Pakistan Category:Jihadist groups in Jammu and Kashmir Category:Al-Qaeda allied groups Category:Organisations based in Punjab, Pakistan Category:Organizations designated as terrorist by Canada Category:Organisations designated as terrorist by Pakistan Category:Organizations designated as terrorist by Russia Category:Organizations established in 2000 Category:Deobandi organisations Category:Organisations designated as terrorist by India Category:Organizations designated as terrorist by the United States Category:Organisations designated as terrorist by Australia Category:Organizations designated as terrorist by the United Arab Emirates Category:Organisations designated as terrorist by the United Kingdom Category:Organizations based in Asia designated as terrorist Category:Deobandi jihadist organizations