Weeks before the recent Delhi blast, Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) quietly expanded its women’s wing. In a major development, Afira Bibi, wife of Umar Farooq, the key conspirator behind the 2019 Pulwama terror attack, joined the JeM’s women’s brigade called “Jamaat-ul-Mominat.”
According to intelligence sources, Bibi has now been inducted into the group’s Shura (advisory council) and will work closely with Sadia Azhar, the younger sister of UN-designated terrorist Masood Azhar.
Who Is Afira Bibi?
Afira Bibi’s husband, Umar Farooq, was a top JeM commander and one of the main planners of the Pulwama attack that killed 40 CRPF personnel on February 14, 2019. Farooq was later killed in an encounter in Dachigam National Park, Jammu and Kashmir, in 2019.
Now, Bibi has emerged as a new face of the women’s unit, tasked with expanding the group’s presence and spreading its propaganda across South Asia.
JeM’s Women’s Wing: Jamaat-ul-Mominat
JeM chief Masood Azhar announced the formation of a dedicated women’s brigade on October 8. A few days later, on October 19, the group held an event named ‘Dukhtaran-e-Islam’ in Rawalkot, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to recruit women into the outfit.
Sadia Azhar, Masood Azhar’s sister and wife of Yusuf Azhar (the Kandahar hijacking mastermind killed in Indian strikes on Bahawalpur camp), leads this unit. Under her guidance, Bibi will oversee operations and outreach for Jamaat-ul-Mominat.
The brigade’s objective is to radicalise women by promoting extremist ideology under the guise of “religious education” and “social service.”
Women Recruits and Radicalisation
Intelligence agencies have revealed that the JeM’s women’s wing has launched a new online programme called ‘Tufat al-Mominat.’ The course aims to train, indoctrinate, and collect funds from women.
Each participant was charged PKR 500 to enrol. Lectures were conducted daily for 40 minutes by Masood Azhar’s sisters, Sadia and Samaira Azhar. The course taught “the duties of women from the perspectives of jihad.”
Sources say JeM is now trying to replicate tactics used by ISIS and Hamas, using women to build networks, raise funds, and even prepare for fidayeen (suicide) missions.
Delhi Blast Connection
The Red Fort blast has brought renewed attention to JeM’s women’s network. Investigators have linked Dr Shaheen Saeed, a Lucknow-based woman and alleged recruit of the Jamaat-ul-Mominat, to the case.
Saeed had reportedly been tasked with setting up a local JeM cell in India. Police arrested her after an assault rifle and ammunition were found in her car, just hours before a Hyundai i20 exploded near the Red Fort Metro Station, killing nine people and injuring over 20 others.
Officials suspect that JeM’s women’s wing played a crucial role in planning and funding the operation. The investigation into possible cross-border links is still underway.
A New Front in Terror Networks
Security experts warn that JeM’s focus on female radicalisation marks a dangerous shift in terrorist strategy. It shows how groups are adapting to new forms of recruitment and propaganda.
Authorities in India and abroad remain on alert as the Jamaat-ul-Mominat continues to expand its reach under Sadia Azhar and Afira Bibi’s leadership.
