India targeted numerous terrorist hideouts in Pakistan during “Operation Sindoor” including Muhammad Masood Azhar Alvi alias Masood Azhar, Jaish-e-Mohammed (Jaish or JeM). He has now formulated a plan to re-establish terrorist facilities in collaboration with Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and 3.9 billion (390 crores) Pakistani rupees are to be used for this.
They have devised an ingenious method to raise funds to prevent suspicion from international agencies. The terrorists are now acquiring money through digital wallets instead of bank accounts.
Jaish’s strategy to evade organizations such as FATF
Pakistan is notorious for its support of terrorism. Consequently, it remained on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list for an extended period. Hence, the Islamic Republic proposed a plan that included measures against Jaish-e-Mohammed to address this issue. The former insisted that it does not financially support terrorists and mentioned its intention to monitor the bank accounts of Masood Azhar, his brother Rauf Asghar and his youngest brother Talha al Saif.
As a result of these actions, the terror state successfully exited the FATF grey list in 2022, however, its deceptive tricks did not go unnoticed by India. Outfits such as Jaish-e-Mohammed continued to thrive within Pakistan and their operations remained unabated. Terrorists required funds to sustain their activities and the scrutiny of Pakistan’s bank accounts made this increasingly challenging. Hence, Pakistani digital wallets like EasyPaisa and SadaPay have now been utilized, to circumvent this barrier.
Jaish to build 313 terrorist camps
ISI and Jaish are currently attempting to amass 3.9 billion Pakistani Rupees under the pretext of constructing mosques and markaz. These places have previously been utilized by the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Indian intelligence agencies suspect that a significant portion of this amount is allocated to support terrorism and procure weapons for terrorist activities.
Jaish aims to set up 313 new camps with this financial resource. The apprehension regarding India also contributes to the formation of these structures. The terror group is doing it to mislead India, in response to the destruction of its hideouts during the military action. The headquarters of Jaish, Markaz Subhanallah, was demolished in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) following the Pahalgam terrorist attack.
Additionally, four other Jaish training camps, namely Markaz Syedna Bilal, Markaz Abbas, Mahmona Zoya and Markaz Sarjal were also obliterated. Over 100 terrorists were eliminated including Masood Azhar’s family members.
5 digital wallets of Jaish discovered
Money had been gathered through digital wallets registered under the names of family members of Masood Azhar. If there had been no bank transactions, Islamabad could have claimed that the funds received by Jaish had decreased while in truth, a significant sum is being funneled to the terrorists.
According to reports, five such wallets have been identified all of which are directly linked to Jaish. A SadaPay account was registered under the name of Masood Azhar’s brother, Talha Al Saif (Talha Gulzar) which was associated with the Pakistani mobile number +92 3025xxxx56, reported Aaj Tak.
This number was registered in the name of Aftab Ahmed, the commander of Jaish in the Haripur district. Additionally, an EasyPaisa wallet was connected to the mobile number of Masood Azhar’s son, Abdullah Azhar which is +92 33xxxx4937. Furthermore, there a wallet set up to provide assistance in Gaza. It was managed from the number +92xxxx195206 and was registered under the name of Khalid Ahmed. However, it was actually operated by Masood Azhar’s son, Hammad Azhar.
Donation campaign in mosques
JeM terrorists are also gathering donations from mosques during Friday prayers in addition to soliciting funds online. They present this money as assistance for Gaza, but in reality it is being utilized to support terrorist activities. A video featuring Jaish commander Wasim Chauhan (also known as Wasim Khan) emerged, showing him counting the amount after a Friday prayer.
A trust named “Al-Rehmat” managed by Masood Azhar and his close associates has also become a crucial part in this scheme. This trust has been taking funds through an account (account number 105XX9) at the National Bank of Pakistan which is operated under the name of Ghulam Murtaza. Annually, this trust contributes approximately 100 crore Pakistani rupees to JeM’s financial resources.
Social media to foreign countries: Jaish demands funds
Jaish has fully mobilized its active operatives and proxy network with plans to generate funds through platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp, according to recent intelligence reports. Information suggests that posters, provocative videos and letters authored by Masood Azhar are being consistently disseminated on these platforms from proxy accounts associated with Jaish as well as those directly managed by its commanders.
These posts assert that the terror group is in the process of developing 313 Markaz and each facility requires 12.5 million Pakistani rupees. This effort is not confined to Pakistan alone as Jaish also sought contributions from Pakistani citizens residing abroad. It is evident that these funds will be utilized for training terrorists, securing weapons and expanding the terror network.
Jaish exploits the network of digital wallets
According to a report by the Economic Times, the digital wallets utilized by Jaish such as EasyPaisa and SadaPay, offer the facility for wallet-to-wallet and wallet-to-cash transfers which is not available in traditional banking. This feature complicates monitoring efforts for international bodies like FATF.
The report indicated that Masood Azhar’s family manages between 7 to 8 wallets simultaneously and replace them every 4 months. When a significant sum accumulates in a wallet, it is segmented into smaller amounts for cash withdrawal. It is disclosed that approximately 30 new wallets are created each month.
Cybersecurity expert Amit Dubey stated that these digital wallets function similarly to “digital hawala,” enabling monetary transactions without relying on a banking network. This is why this network of Jaish manages to evade the clutches of investigative agencies and international monitoring organizations.
Jaish’s financial transactions reportedly occur through these wallets, amounting to around 80-90 crore Pakistani rupees at present. This money is utilized for purchasing weapons, operating training camps, supporting Azhar Masood’s family and acquiring luxury vehicles. A large part of this amount comes from the Gulf.
Read the report in Hindi here.
