ABP News has obtained an exclusive 21-minute audio of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar speaking at Markaz-Usman-o-Ali in Bahawalpur last week, offering fresh insight into the group’s effort to recruit and train women for its activities.
According to the recording, Azhar outlined a structured programme for a newly promoted women’s wing, which he called Jamat-ul-Mominat. He said the brigade will receive its own initial training course, dubbed “Dawra-e-Taskiya”, modelled on the 15-day basic induction that male recruits historically receive, known within JeM as “Dawra-e-Tarbiat.” Intelligence sources told ABP News that Dawra-e-Tarbiat has for years been used to indoctrinate male recruits and prepare them for militant activity.
In the audio, Masood Azhar said women who complete the first stage at the Bahawalpur centre will move on to a second phase, “Dawra Ayat-ul-Nisah,” which he described as religious instruction for female recruits on how Islamic texts, in his view, justify participation in jihad.
Azhar also reportedly framed the creation of the women’s brigade as a response to perceived threats, claiming rival forces had placed women in the armed forces and media, and that JeM should mobilise women to counter them.
Details Of Masood Azhar’s Audio Recording
The recording outlines plans for nationwide expansion. Azhar said Jamat-ul-Mominat cells would be established in every district across Pakistan, each led by a female district organiser responsible for recruitment. He also imposed strict operational restrictions on members, directing that women should not communicate with outside men by phone or messenger, except for immediate family or husbands.
ABP News previously reported on the appointment of female leadership in JeM. On October 9, the channel named Sadiya Azhar, Masood Azhar’s sister, as head of the women’s wing. Follow-up reporting on October 21 identified Samaira Azhar (alias Umme Masood) and Afira Farooq, the widow of Umar Farooq, the Pulwama attacker, as active organisers who would run online sessions to encourage recruitment. JeM has since circulated promotional material confirming that Umme Masood will begin online classes five days a week from October 25.
The audio also references a campaign Azhar called “Shoba-e-Dawat,” in which women whose male relatives were killed in encounters with Indian forces would be showcased to inspire recruits. In the recording, Azhar urged followers to read his booklet addressed to women, “Ae Musalman Behna” (“O Muslim Sister”).
JeM’s Women Brigade
ABP News’ intelligence sources say the effort to form and deploy a women’s brigade has gained urgency after the deaths of several of Azhar’s family members during recent Indian strikes, which, the sources say, have driven him to seek revenge.
The Sheikh-led organisation has not provided any comment to ABP News on the newly obtained recording.
