Pak terror group goes for digital fundraising to rebuild structures destroyed during Op Sindoor

New Delhi: Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) led by Maulana Masood Azhar is using Pakistani digital wallets like EasyPaisa and SadaPay to raise PKR 3.91 billion (approximately $14 million) for constructing 313 new training centres, or markaz, across Pakistan, according to an Indian assessment.

In what is seen as “digital hawala”, money is being transferred to digital wallets used by Masood Azhar’s family members. Several social media posts have been intercepted as well, urging the need to raise funds with the aim of building new training centres. Use of digital spaces to fund terrorism is not new. In fact, a July report of FATF, quoting the Indian finance ministry, said that online payment services are being used to fund terror attacks.

Pakistan’s government, under its 2019 National Action Plan, claimed to have dismantled JeM’s financial networks and placed the bank accounts of Masood Azhar and his brothers, Rauf Asghar and Talha Al Saif under official watch. Cash transactions and fundraising were banned, leading to Pakistan’s exit from FATF’s grey list in 2022. The UNSC-listed terror group switched to digital wallets, which operate outside traditional banking systems and evade FATF’s SWIFT-based monitoring.

On May 7, India launched “Operation Sindoor” and obliterated Markaz Subhanallah and four other JeM camps, killing 14, including Azhar’s brother-in-law and nephew. In the aftermath of the destruction in India’s precision strikes, JeM launched a fundraising campaign via social media, with posters and an audio from Talha Al Saif urging supporters to donate PKR 21,000 each to build the 313 training centres. Supporters in Pakistan and abroad are urged to send their share of the donation totalling PKR 3.91 billion (PKR 391 crore). Large training centres like Subhanallah require PKR 100 million, while smaller ones may come up in PKR 5 million.

Alongside social media appeals, JEM circulated an audio recording of Masood Azhar’s brother, Talha, delivered at a gathering at Markaz Usman O Ali on 15th August via propaganda channels urging supporters to contribute the funds. In fact, Masood Azhar’s family has been living in this Markaz Usman O Ali, which is just 6 km away from Markaz Subhanallah.

Funds flow into over 2,000 digital wallets, including one linked to SadaPay account linked to Talha’s mobile number and another operated by Azhar’s son, Abdullah (EasyPaisa). In KPK JeM’s Syed Safdar Shah is collecting donations via an EasyPaise Wallet linked to a specific number, registered near Melwarah post office, Oghi, Mansehra district. These wallets, rotated every few months are used to launder money funding weapons, propaganda, and luxury for Azhar’s family.

The aim to create a number of such training centres is to decentralised training camps, and establish secure safe houses for central leadership. The plan is to develop large training centres as safe houses, medium ones as training camps, and the remaining to handle logistics. JeM raises over PKR 100 cr annually through digital wallets, of which 50% is spent on arms. Given JEM’s connection with Hamas, according to Indians assessments, the money might be used to buy attack drones from black market.