Terrorist infrastructure was targeted during Operation Sindoor

Following severe setbacks during Operation Sindoor, the Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) has initiated a massive fundraising campaign worth ₹3.91 billion (approximately PKR 3.9 billion) under the guise of building over 300 mosques across Pakistan.

This fundraising drive aims to replicate Lashkar-e-Taiba's decentralisation policy by creating a network of 313 new "Markaz" (Centres) to decentralise JeM's terror infrastructure, making it more resilient to future targeted strikes. The campaign is supported by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and is designed to secure JeM's operational and weapons financing for at least a decade.

The fundraising mechanism has shifted from traditional bank accounts to digital wallets such as EasyPaisa and SadaPay, controlled by Masood Azhar, the founder and most wanted terrorist linked to JeM, and his family members.

This shift allows JeM to bypass scrutiny by global watchdogs like the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which monitors conventional banking channels but struggles to track these digital wallet transactions.

Masood Azhar's family runs several digital wallets, and these are frequently changed every few months to evade detection. Reports claim that about 80% of JeM’s funding now flows through these wallets, with annual transactions estimated at around 80-90 crore Pakistani rupees.

Key accounts linked to the fundraising campaign include:

An account linked to Masood Azhar’s brother Talha Al Saif (Talha Gulzar) and JeM’s Haripur district commander Aftab Ahmad.
Accounts linked to Azhar’s son Abdullah Azhar.
Accounts tied to JeM commander Syed Safdar Shah in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Overall, more than 250 EasyPaisa wallets are reportedly used for this campaign.

The fundraising is actively promoted on social media platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp via proxy accounts linked to JeM, featuring posters, videos, and even a letter from Masood Azhar urging supporters to donate. An audio recording of Azhar's brother urging people to donate ₹21,000 per person was also circulated during a Friday congregation.

JeM claims the cost of constructing each mosque or centre to be around ₹12.5 million, but estimates suggest smaller centres could cost ₹4-5 million, with larger ones up to ₹100 million. The plan involves establishing a few large centres as safe houses for Masood Azhar and his family, medium-sized centres for training, and numerous smaller facilities for logistics. This structure ensures that JeM can maintain operations across Pakistan while allowing the Pakistani government plausible deniability of Azhar's whereabouts.

This significant fundraising drive follows the destruction of several JeM facilities—including its headquarters Markaz Subhanallah and four training camps—by Indian forces during Operation Sindoor in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack.

Despite official Pakistani government announcements to rebuild these facilities, JeM’s use of digital wallets and the decentralisation of its infrastructure signal an adaptive strategy to evade international monitoring while continuing militant activities.

The surplus funds from this drive, beyond construction costs, are expected to bolster JeM’s arsenal, potentially including advanced weaponry and drones sourced via ISI-assisted black-market channels.

JeM’s ₹3.91 billion digital fundraising campaign reflects a sophisticated, technologically adaptive approach to sustain and expand its terror network, circumventing global financial watchdogs and exploiting Pakistan’s digital payment systems, all while keeping a low profile internationally.

Based On ET News Report