⚡THE NEW FACE OF AN OLD ENEMY
When one of the world’s deadliest terror groups quietly adds a new name to its leadership council, intelligence agencies take notice.
That name is Afira Bibi — the widow of Umar Farooq, the Pulwama attack mastermind who orchestrated the 2019 assault that claimed the lives of 40 CRPF personnel in Jammu and Kashmir.
Now, Afira has reportedly been elevated to the Shura, the high-level advisory council of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and entrusted with overseeing the organisation’s women’s wing, Jamaat-ul-Mominat, alongside Sadia Azhar, the sister of Jaish chief Masood Azhar.
The move signals something far more dangerous than a personnel change — it marks the rise of a new gendered dimension in terrorism.
🕋 THE RISE OF JAMAA’T-UL-MOMINAT — A NEW FRONT IN THE war OF IDEOLOGY
The women’s wing of Jaish-e-Mohammed isn’t new, but its strategic role has evolved. What once functioned as a peripheral support network has now been restructured into a core propaganda and recruitment cell.
Under Afira and Sadia’s supervision, Jamaat-ul-Mominat operates through religious seminars, social outreach, and “education initiatives” — all cloaked in the language of empowerment and faith.
Intelligence officials describe it as a façade for indoctrination — where women are radicalised, trained in ideology, and used as couriers, informants, or facilitators.
💣 BEHIND THE MASK OF “EMPOWERMENT”
The most dangerous tactic isn’t violence — it’s manipulation.
Jaish is exploiting a global narrative: “women’s empowerment.”
Under this cover, they host study circles, religious classes, and charity drives that appear benign but serve as entry points into radical networks.
Once recruited, women are used to spread messaging across borders — often through encrypted channels or social platforms — making detection far harder.
As one intelligence analyst put it, “When ideology travels in the language of empowerment, it becomes invisible to the untrained eye.”
🧠 A STRATEGIC RECRUITMENT SHIFT
Afira Bibi’s appointment is not symbolic — it’s strategic.
After the death of her husband, Umar Farooq, in a 2019 encounter at Dachigam National Park, her rise within the organisation gives Jaish a martyrdom narrative to exploit.
She represents the “sacrificed family” trope that extremist groups use to inspire emotional loyalty. Her visibility among women helps the group recruit those disillusioned or socially vulnerable — turning grief and faith into tools of indoctrination.
⚠️ INTELLIGENCE WARNING: A NEW KIND OF THREAT
According to indian intelligence reports, Pakistan’s security establishment has renewed its funding and operational backing to outfits like Jaish.
This includes financing the women’s wing, which allows these groups to operate under the radar, evading scrutiny from both international monitors and counterterrorism forces.
Women-led propaganda cells are especially hard to track — they often appear as educational or welfare organisations, drawing in recruits under the guise of charity, then slowly weaving them into extremist ideology.
🌍 A GLOBAL PATTERN
This isn’t isolated to South Asia. From ISIS’s “Al-Khansaa Brigade” to Al-Shabaab’s women’s networks, extremist organisations worldwide are increasingly deploying women in key propaganda and logistical roles.
It’s not about equality — it’s about expansion. women are now being used to soften the image of terror outfits, reach new demographics, and evade counterterrorism algorithms designed to detect male-dominated structures.
Afira’s rise fits this global shift — where radical groups weaponize gender itself.
🔥 CONCLUSION: THE war HAS CHANGED — AND SO HAS ITS FACE
The appointment of Afira Bibi to Jaish’s Shura marks a turning point in extremist strategy — a calculated move to rebrand terror as empowerment, and to infiltrate through influence rather than guns alone.
It’s a reminder that terrorism doesn’t always wear a uniform.
Sometimes it wears ideology, wrapped in innocence.
And that’s precisely what makes it far more dangerous.
click and follow Indiaherald WhatsApp channel