Terror groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen are deliberately moving their infrastructure deeper into Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, calculating that KPK offers greater protection from future strikes by India.
In the aftermath of India’s Operation Sindoor, which wiped out at least nine major terrorist hubs in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), Pakistan-sponsored terror outfits have shifted their bases deeper into Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK). Groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) are now repositioning themselves in KPK, banking on its rugged terrain, as it offers greater depth due to its geography, proximity to the Afghan frontier, and existing jihadi safe havens to escape Indian precision strikes.
Reports suggest that this movement is being conducted with full awareness and direct facilitation of Pakistan’s state structures, as evidenced by overt JeM gatherings held under police protection and the tacit involvement of political-religious outfits like Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI).
JeM’S public recruitment drive
The most significant development was observed in Garhi Habibullah town of Mansehra district, KPK, where JeM staged a public recruitment drive roughly seven hours before the start of the India, Pakistan cricket match on Sep 14, 2025.
The event organised as part of a “Deobandi religious gathering,” was in fact a coordinated mobilization effort led jointly by JeM and JUI in the presence of Mulana Mufti Masood Ilyas Kashmiri alias Abu Mohammad, JeM’s Amir for KPK and Kashmir, who personally addressed the gathering. He is a high-value target wanted in India, closely connected to JeM founder Maulana Masood Azhar, and one of the principal figures in JeM’s operational restructuring after Operation Sindoor.
Talking about Osama Bin Laden & Masood Azhar
Mufti Masood Ilyas Kashmiri’s presence at a public rally guarded by both JeM cadres armed with M4 rifles and local police officers, including Inspector Liaqat Shah of Garhi Habibullah Police Station, reflects both state complicity and the boldness of JeM’s revivalist strategy.
For over 30 minutes, he glorified Osama bin Laden, calling him the Shohada-e-Islam and “Prince of Arab,” directly linking JeM’s ideological line with Al-Qaeda’s legacy. He reminded the audience that following the Kandahar hijack of IC-814, when Masood Azhar was freed from India’s Tihar Jail and returned to Pakistan, it was Balakot in KPK that became his headquarters, portraying KPK as an eternal sanctuary for the mujahideen. He then recounted in detail the events following the May 7 Indian strike on JeM’s Marakaz Subhanallah, which killed members of Masood Azhar’s family.
“Ilyas Kashmiri claimed that the bodies were “turned to mince” by Indian bombs, and that this incident provoked the then Chief of Army Staff (now elevated to Field Marshal Asim Munir) to personally order GHQ to direct military commanders to attend the funerals of JeM terrorists, the Pakistan Air Force to provide overhead security, and soldiers to salute dead JeM operatives in uniform.
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Kashmiri narrated these details to frame the Pakistan Army and government as not only protectors but also participants in jihad”, which accesses the dangerous narrative with strong resonance among Deobandi radical youth.
The assessment indicates that the rally’s true purpose was recruitment for JeM’s training facility at Mansehra, known as Marakaz Shohada-e-Islam, which has been undergoing expansion since Operation Sindoor.
HIZBUL MUJAHIDEEN’S CAMP 313
Sources suggest that Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), under ex-Pakistani commando Khalid Khan, is constructing a new training facility named “HM 313” in Bandaai area of Lower Dir, KPK. Land was discreetly purchased in August 2024, and construction resumed in Post Operation Sindoor.
Sources on the ground have observed boundary walls and initial training infrastructure being established. The “313” nomenclature is a clear symbolic tribute to both Badr Ghazwa (historic Islamic battle) and Al-Qaeda’s Brigade 313, reflecting Hizbul’s intent to attract global jihadi legitimacy. SOURCES indicates that this facility is intended as a replacement for destroyed PoK camps and a platform for indoctrination and cross-border planning into Kashmir.
MASOOD ILYAS KASHMIRI’S ROLE
Masood Ilyas Kashmiri is central to JeM’s restructuring. Born in Rawalkot, PoK, he joined JeM in 2001, fought NATO forces in Afghanistan, later became JeM’s Rawalkot commander, and went on to mastermind the 2018 Sunjuwan Army Camp attack in Jammu. India’s NIA chargesheet names him alongside Masood Azhar and Abdul Rauf Asghar for providing weapons and logistics in the attack.
He assumed command of the Hilal-ul-Haq Brigade, later rebranded as the People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), designed to provide an “indigenous” cover for Pakistani-backed terrorism in Kashmir. His dual role in JeM’s KPK operations and PAFF underscores his importance as a force multiplier in Pakistan’s proxy war.
India reacts
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Sources confirm JeM’s plans to hold another major event on 25 September 2025 in Peshawar’s Marakaz Shaheed Maksudabad, to commemorate Yusuf Azhar (Masood Azhar’s brother, killed in Operation Sindoor). Pamphlets distributed in KPK confirm that the event will be staged under JeM’s alias Al-Murabitun. Senior JeM leaders are expected to attend, and sources expect this gathering to double as both a memorial rally and a mass recruitment campaign.