The formation of Jaish-e-Mohammed's (JeM) first women's wing, Jamaat-ul-Mominaat, marks a significant and strategic shift in the organization's traditional operational framework,

 

The formation of Jaish-e-Mohammed's (JeM) first women's wing, Jamaat-ul-Mominaat, marks a significant and strategic shift in the organization's traditional operational framework, which previously barred women from armed operations. This move is seen as a direct response to strategic setbacks, notably India's Operation Sindoor, and reflects a trend observed in other global terrorist groups.

 

1. Analysis in Light of Women's Participation in Terrorism

The establishment of 'Jamaat-ul-Mominaat' aligns JeM with a growing global trend where women's roles in terrorist groups have diversified and become more operational.

• Strategic Shift: JeM, along with groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), traditionally confined women to supportive roles, emphasizing the masculine nature of "armed jihad." This new unit signals a change in this long-standing ideological and operational stance, suggesting that tactical necessity is now outweighing traditional constraints.
• Response to Setbacks: The timing, following the successful Operation Sindoor by the Indian Army against JeM's headquarters, suggests the women's wing is a re-strategizing effort to rebuild and sustain the organization after a massive blow.
• Global Alignment: By incorporating women into its operational framework, JeM is adopting tactics previously employed by groups such as ISIS, Boko Haram, Hamas, and the LTTE, which have extensively utilized women, including as suicide attackers. This normalization of women's combat roles within a major Pakistan-based terror group is a critical development.

 

2. Expected Roles of 'Jamaat-ul-Mominaat'

The women in 'Jamaat-ul-Mominaat' are expected to play diverse and strategically important roles, ranging from support functions to potential combat operations.

• Leadership and Mobilization: The unit is to be led by Sadiya Azhar, JeM chief Masood Azhar's sister, providing it with high-level legitimacy and authority within the organization's structure.
• Psychological Warfare and Propaganda: A primary role is "psychological warfare," which involves spreading propaganda and emotive, religious appeals through social media, WhatsApp groups, and madrasa networks to influence minds and facilitate recruitment.
• Ground-Level Recruitment: They will actively recruit new members, targeting:
• Wives of JeM commanders (cementing family ties to the organization).
• Economically vulnerable women studying at JeM centers in key Pakistani cities like Bahawalpur, Karachi, and Muzaffarabad.
• Potential for Operational Roles: The most concerning potential role is the deployment of female suicide attackers. This would exploit the fact that women often face less scrutiny from security forces due to persistent gender stereotypes, making them effective 'covert' operatives for high-impact attacks.
• Logistical Support: Traditional supportive roles like fundraising, providing shelter/safe houses, and acting as informants or couriers will likely be maintained and expanded.

 

3. Effect on Terror Activities in Pakistan

The introduction of a women's unit will have several impacts on Pakistan's terror landscape and the operational capabilities of JeM.

• Increased Resilience and Recruitment Pool: It significantly expands JeM's recruitment base beyond its traditional male-centric networks. By tapping into family networks and economically vulnerable women, the organization gains more resilient, localized support.
• Tactical Element of Surprise: Female operatives can be utilized to bypass security checks and operate in environments where male operatives would draw immediate suspicion, adding an element of unpredictability to JeM's attack planning.
• Ideological Adaptation: This move pressures other Pakistan-based groups like LeT and HM to potentially reconsider their long-held ideological positions on women's combat roles to stay relevant and compete for recruits. The JeM's shift sets a precedent for the broader Pakistani extremist ecosystem.
• Renewed International Scrutiny: The explicit incorporation of women into the operational wing, especially for potential combat roles, will intensify international pressure on Pakistan regarding state-sponsored terrorism, as it indicates a serious escalation in the complexity and longevity of JeM's infrastructure.

 

4. Suggested Counter Measures for India

India's counter-terrorism strategy must adopt a gender-sensitive and multi-pronged approach to effectively meet the new challenge posed by the women's unit.

Strategic Domain	Suggested Counter Measures
Intelligence & Security	Gender-Sensitive Intelligence: Train security and intelligence personnel to specifically detect and analyze threats involving female operatives, moving beyond the "gender-blind" assumption that women are only victims or non-combatants. Enhance screening protocols at sensitive locations for female suspects.
Counter-Radicalization	Counter-Narratives: Develop and deploy gender-responsive counter-narratives on social media and through community leaders. These must address the specific religious and emotional appeals (like 'hijab' and 'service of the faith') used by JeM to lure women. Utilize local female role models to discredit the extremist ideology.
Law Enforcement	Specialized Units: Create or designate specialized law enforcement cells with female officers to handle intelligence, interrogation, and prosecution of female terror suspects, ensuring a human rights-compliant and culturally sensitive approach.
Border Management	Enhanced Vigilance: Increase vigilance along the border and Line of Control (LoC) against the potential use of women as couriers, informants, or to carry out attacks in less-militarized areas, leveraging their lower-profile nature.
Diplomacy & Finance	Targeted Sanctions: Use diplomatic channels and evidence of Sadiya Azhar's role and the unit's fundraising via channels like EasyPaisa to push for targeted international sanctions on the women's wing and its key members, in line with India's established policy of holding terror sponsors accountable.