Islamabad/New Delhi: In 2019, Pakistan implemented the National Action Plan to secure removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list. The government claimed strict action against the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). Authorities said the JeM headquarters were placed under state control. Bank accounts of the terror outfit’s chief Masood Azhar, his brother Rauf Asghar and younger sibling Talha Al Saif were reportedly monitored. Cash transactions, donations and fundraising channels were said to have been restricted. By 2022, Pakistan was formally removed from the FATF grey list.
Falsified Compliance
Despite claims, the JeM and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) adopted new fundraising tactics. The former shifted to digital wallets such as EasyPaisa and SadaPay. Instead of bank accounts, funds flowed into Masood Azhar’s family wallets. Pakistan continued to assure the FATF that banking transactions had been halted.
Operation Sindoor Aftermath
On May 7, India’s Operation Sindoor eliminated JeM’s main headquarters, Markaz SubhanAllah, and four other training camps. Despite this, Pakistan announced funding for the reconstruction of these camps.
The JeM launched a 3.91 billion Pakistani rupees (PKR) online fundraising campaign on EasyPaisa, aiming to build 313 new centres.
Supporters posted videos, posters and letters from Masood Azhar on Facebook and WhatsApp channels. Each centre was estimated to require 12.5 million PKR. The appeal targeted supporters within Pakistan and abroad, seeking a total of 3.91 billion PKR.
Operations And Oversight
Investigations revealed blank donation receipts tied to JeM’s campaign. Funds were distributed across multiple digital wallets. One SadaPay account was registered to Talha Al Saif, linked to JeM commander Aftab Ahmed in Haripur.
Another EasyPaisa wallet was managed by Masood Azhar’s son, Abdullah Azhar. Over 250 wallets were active in this fundraising drive.
Audio recordings of Talha Al Saif were released, urging supporters to contribute 21,000 PKR per person and directing the creation of 20 new centres this year. Posters and videos indicate the overall target of 313 centres.
Centres As Fronts
These so-called religious centres serve as terrorist training grounds and operational hubs. The Subhan Allah Markaz targeted by India housed weapons training and terrorist accommodation. Several JeM members were killed during the operation.
Other JeM centers, including Markaz Bilal (Muzaffarabad), Markaz Abbas (Kotli), Markaz Tamim Dari (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and Karachi’s Markaz Ifta, function as hubs for training, propaganda, child indoctrination and social media operations. The Karachi centres spans 1.5 acres and coordinates JeM publications and online activity.
Digital Hawala System
JeM operates over 2,000 EasyPaisa and SadaPay wallets. These funds support training centres and purported Gaza relief campaigns. Wallets bypass traditional banking networks, evading FATF scrutiny.
The Azhar family cycles through multiple wallets every 3-4 months. Large transfers are divided into smaller wallets and cashed out digitally or offline. Annual transactions reach 8-9 billion PKR.
Funds support weapons, camp operations, luxury vehicles and family needs. A significant portion comes from Gulf countries. EasyPaisa functions as a digital hawala network. Weekly mosque collections supplement this, presented as humanitarian aid.
JeM’s Al Rahmat Trust raises roughly 100 million PKR annually. Public appeals openly mention donations for jihad.
Costs And Allocation
The JeM claims the cost of a single centre is 12.5 million PKR. In reality, smaller centres cost 4-5 million PKR; major centres like Subhan Allah or Usman-O-Ali may reach 100 million PKR. The 313-centre initiative would spend 1.23 billion PKR on construction, with the remainder allocated to weapons and network expansion.
Purpose And Implications
Analysts highlight two main objectives behind JeM’s 313 centres: establish a vast network across Pakistan, similar to the Lashkar-e-Taiba, to reduce the impact of future Indian operations and create secure and lavish bases for Masood Azhar and his family, allowing plausible deniability of their presence.
The 3.91 billion PKR campaign could reinforce JeM’s operational and weapons supply chains for the coming decade, increasing its threat profile.