Pakistan-based terror outfits Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) are shifting their bases to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) after suffering heavy blows during India’s Operation Sindoor punitive strikes.

Intelligence reports indicate that their traditional hubs in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) are no longer secure due to India’s expanding aerial and drone strike capabilities, forcing the groups to seek refuge deeper inside Pakistani territory.

The relocation effort is being openly facilitated by the Pakistani establishment. JeM gatherings have been spotted in KPK towns under visible police protection, signaling tacit state backing. One such rally was held on September 14 in Garhi Habibullah, Mansehra district, led by Mufti Masood Ilyas Kashmiri, one of India’s most wanted terrorists.

His speech, which glorified Osama bin Laden and aligned JeM’s ideological narrative with Al Qaeda, has been flagged by Indian intelligence as an attempt to fuse regional jihadist movements under a broader extremist umbrella.

Alarmingly, Kashmiri claimed that the Pakistani Army chief had instructed senior commanders to participate in funerals of JeM cadres, with the Pakistan Air Force providing aerial cover.

This narrative is being used to portray the Pakistani security establishment as not merely protectors but active participants in jihad, a development that could inflame recruitment and propaganda efforts further.

JeM is planning a major commemorative event in Peshawar’s Markaz Shaheed Maksudabad on September 25 to honor Yusuf Azhar, Masood Azhar’s slain brother, who was eliminated during Operation Sindoor. Indian agencies believe the gathering could double up as a mass recruitment and fundraising drive, bolstered by the organization’s renewed KPK focus.

Alongside Jaish, Hizbul Mujahideen has also started shifting infrastructure into KPK. A new training facility dubbed HM 313 is under construction in the Bandaai region, spearheaded by former Pakistani commando Khalid Khan.

Land for the base was discreetly acquired in August last year, but expansion picked up momentum following Operation Sindoor, highlighting HM’s bid to shield its cadres away from Indian striking range.

This repositioning marks a significant insurgency realignment inside Pakistan. By moving to KPK—a region historically linked to global jihad networks dating back to the Afghan war—JeM and HM aim not only to minimise vulnerability to Indian offensives but also to reconnect with deeper transnational jihadist ecosystems.

For India, this underscores the dual challenge of expanded terror sanctuaries under Pakistan’s direct facilitation and a looming ideological merger between South Asian and global extremist frameworks.

Based On ET News Report