New Delhi: The banned terrorist organization Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) will now operate under a new name within Pakistan: Al-Murabitun. The new name, which translates to “defenders of Islam” in Arabic, will be formally introduced next week during a memorial for Yusuf Azhar, the brother of JeM founder Masood Azhar.
According to intel sources who spoke to media this week, the name change is a strategic move to bypass international sanctions that have made it difficult for the group to access traditional funding. The new name will only be used for its operations within Pakistan.
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global anti-terror funding watchdog, highlighted the group’s financial struggles in a July report. The report revealed that Jaish-e-Mohammed has shifted its fundraising tactics to digital payments, including e-wallets and UPI transfers, to rebuild its network. So far, the FATF has traced five such e-wallets with direct links to the terrorist group and members of Masood Azhar’s family. The group’s goal is to raise nearly four billion Pakistani rupees to establish over 300 new “markaz” (hubs or training centers).
This use of digital wallets allows Pakistan to claim it has “cut off” formalized funding channels like bank transfers, giving the appearance of compliance with FATF rules while the Jaish continues to receive money.
The new intelligence dossier also sheds light on the group’s rebuilding efforts following Operation Sindoor, the missile strikes launched by India on May 7 that destroyed nine terrorist camps, including the JeM base in Bahawalpur. The dossier indicates that Jaish-e-Mohammed and other targeted groups, including Hafiz Saeed’s Hizbul Mujahideen, have relocated deeper into Pakistan, establishing new bases in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near the Afghan border.
As part of this rebuilding process, the group has also initiated a new recruitment drive. One such event was held on September 14 in Garhi Habibullah, Mansehra district. The drive, led by Jaish commander Masood Ilyas Kashmiri, even received protection from the Pakistani Army and police, according to the dossier. During his speech, Kashmiri reportedly exposed the links between the Pakistani state and the terror groups operating on its soil.