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Terror groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen are deliberately moving their infrastructure deeper into Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, calculating that KPK offers greater protection from future strikes by India.
Terror groups are shifting base to Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after India wiped out 9 hubs in POK during Op Sindoor.
New Delhi,UPDATED: Sep 19, 2025 16:29 IST
In the wake of Operation Sindoor, which wiped out at least nine major terrorist hubs in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), Pakistan-sponsored terror outfits have shifted their bases deeper into Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK). Groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) are now repositioning themselves in KPK, banking on its rugged terrain, proximity to Afghanistan and long-standing jihadi safe havens to escape Indian precision strikes.
Sources indicate that the movement is being conducted with the direct facilitation of Pakistan’s state structures, as evident from overt JeM gatherings held under police protection and the tacit involvement of political-religious outfits such as Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI).
JeM’S PUBLIC RECRUITMENT DRIVE
One of the most significant developments was observed on September 14, just hours before the India–Pakistan cricket match, when JeM staged a public recruitment drive in Garhi Habibullah town of Mansehra district, KPK. The event, ostensibly organised as a “Deobandi religious gathering,” was in fact a coordinated mobilisation led jointly by JeM and JUI.
The rally was addressed by Maulana Mufti Masood Ilyas Kashmiri, alias Abu Mohammad, JeM’s Amir for KPK and Kashmir. A high-value target wanted in India and closely linked to JeM founder Masood Azhar, Kashmiri spoke under the protection of armed JeM cadres and local police officers, including Inspector Liaqat Shah of Garhi Habibullah Police Station.
Sources debrief of attendees and video analysis reveal that Kashmiri, for over 30 minutes, glorified Osama bin Laden as “Shohada-e-Islam” and “Prince of Arab,” directly linking JeM’s ideology with Al-Qaeda’s legacy. He portrayed KPK as an eternal sanctuary for jihadis, reminded the audience of JeM’s Balakot headquarters after the IC-814 hijack, and recounted details of Indian strikes that killed members of Masood Azhar’s family.
Kashmiri claimed that the then Chief of Army Staff, now Field Marshal Asim Munir, personally ordered the Pakistan Army and Air Force to provide honours and protection at JeM funerals — framing the state as a direct participant in jihad.
The true purpose of the rally was recruitment for JeM’s training facility at Marakaz Shohada-e-Islam in Mansehra, which has been undergoing expansion since Operation Sindoor, sources said. The construction activity and an increase in logistical inflows at the site have been confirmed by sources inside Mansehra.
JeM plans another major gathering on September 25 at Peshawar’s Marakaz Shaheed Maksudabad under its alias Al-Murabitun, to commemorate Yusuf Azhar (Masood Azhar’s brother, killed in Operation Sindoor), sources said. Pamphlets distributed in KPK suggest the rally will double as a memorial and a mass recruitment campaign.
HIZBUL MUJAHIDEEN’S CAMP 313
Hizbul Mujahideen, under ex-Pakistani commando Khalid Khan, is constructing a new training facility named HM 313 in Bandaai area of Lower Dir, KPK, sources said.
The land was discreetly purchased in August 2024, and construction resumed after Operation Sindoor. On the ground, sources observed boundary walls and early training infrastructure. The “313” nomenclature is a symbolic tribute to both the Battle of Badr and Al-Qaeda’s Brigade 313, reflecting Hizbul’s attempt to attract global jihadi legitimacy.
This facility is intended as a replacement for destroyed PoK camps and a platform for indoctrination and cross-border planning into Kashmir.
MASOOD ILYAS KASHMIRI’S ROLE
Masood Ilyas Kashmiri is central to JeM’s restructuring. Born in Rawalkot, PoK, he joined JeM in 2001, fought NATO forces in Afghanistan, later became JeM’s Rawalkot commander, and went on to mastermind the 2018 Sunjuwan Army Camp attack in Jammu. India’s NIA chargesheet names him alongside Masood Azhar and Abdul Rauf Asghar for providing weapons and logistics in the attack.
He assumed command of the Hilal-ul-Haq Brigade, later rebranded as the People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), designed to provide an “indigenous” cover for Pakistani-backed terrorism in Kashmir. His dual role in JeM’s KPK operations and PAFF underscores his importance as a force multiplier in Pakistan’s proxy war.
IMPLICATIONS FOR REGIONAL SECURITY
Sources assess that JeM and HM are deliberately moving their infrastructure deeper into KPK because Indian strikes in Operation Sindoor targeted facilities in PoK and Punjab Province, while camps in Mansehra were untouched. Terror groups calculate that KPK offers greater protection from future strikes and closer links to Afghan networks.
Equally troubling, sources note the overt cooperation of local police at JeM rallies and Kashmiri’s references to GHQ orders, pointing to systemic collusion between Pakistan’s military establishment, political fronts, and proscribed outfits.
The contradiction is stark: even as Pakistan chairs the UN Security Council and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, JeM rallies and recruitment drives continue under official protection.
- Ends
Published On:
Sep 19, 2025
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