SADIYA AZHAR: FROM FAMILY CIRCLE TO JAISH'S FRONTLINE

In late October 2025, a startling development thrust Sadiya Azhar into the headlines: Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) unveiled Jamaat-ul-Mominaat, its first women's brigade.

- TDG NETWORK

In a recorded address, JeM's founder Maulana Masood Azhar announced the new unit and for the first time - publicly named a woman as its leader. Masood Azhar has appointed his sister Sadiya Azhar as the head of this all-female wing. (JeM's propaganda wing and media quickly picked up the story.) Other family members and associates - including another Azhar sister (named “Samaira” or “Safia”) and militant wives like Afreera Farooq - were said to assist in the leadership team. This announcement represented a significant shift: for decades, JeM had publicly barred women from combat and official roles, but now it was not only allowing female participation, it was putting Azhar's own sister in charge of recruitment and training.

FORMATION OF JA-MAAT-UL-MOMINAAT