JEM, HIZBUL SHIFT TO KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA

Intelligence sources have revealed that Pakistan-sponsored terror groups Jaish-eMohammed (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) have begun shifting their operational bases to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) after India destroyed at least nine major terrorist hubs in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) during Operation Sindoor following Pahalgam terror attack.

- TIKAM SHARMA

KPK in n contrast to PoK offers greater geographic depth, closer proximity to the Afghan border, and long-established jihadi strongholds dating back to the Afghan war.

A clear indication of JeM's resurgence was seen on September 14, 2025, when the group held a public recruitment rally in Garhi Habibullah, Mansehra district. Presented as a Deobandi religious event, the rally was actually co-organized by JeM and the political-religious party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI).Presiding over the rally was Maulana Mufti Masood Ilyas Kashmiri alias Abu Mohammad, JeM's Amir for KPK and Kashmir and a high-value target wanted in India. Closely linked to JeM founder Masood Azhar, Kashmiri addressed hundreds of attendees under the protection of armed JeM cadres and uniformed local police officers, including the inspector of Garhi Habibullah Police Station.

In his speech, Kashmiri glorified Osama bin Laden, invoked the Kandahar hijack episode, and hailed KPK as the "eternal sanctuary of mujahideen." He also claimed the Pakistan Army had formally honoured JeM operatives killed in Indian airstrikes, portraying the military establishment as an active participant in jihad.

The rally's underlying aim, according to sources, was to recruit fresh cadres for JeM's expanding training facility at Mansehra, Marakaz Shohada-e-Islam.