Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed has launched an online course called ‘Tufat al-Muminat’ as part of its efforts to recruit women and raise funds for its newly formed women’s wing, Jamat ul-Muminat, people familiar with the matter said.

This move comes just weeks after Masood Azhar, a UN-designated terrorist, announced the formation of the women’s wing on October 8 at Markaz Usman-o-Ali in Bahawalpur.

Sources said that the course is aimed at “indoctrinating and recruiting” women into JeM’s female wing through lessons focused on religion and jihad. The 40-minute daily sessions are set to begin on November 8 and will be conducted online by Masood Azhar’s sisters, Sadiya Azhar and Samaira Azhar. Each participant is being asked to pay ₹500, or 500 Pakistani rupees, as a “donation”, the sources added.

One official explained, “Under this initiative, women family members of JeM leaders, including relatives of Masood Azhar and other commanders, will teach participants about their duties from the perspective of jihad and Islam.”

On October 19, the group also held an event called Dukhtaran-e-Islam in Rawalkot, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, to mobilise women for the new wing.

Sources said that because Pakistan’s conservative social norms often restrict women’s movement, JeM has turned to online platforms to reach them. The goal, they said, is to build a women’s force similar to ISIS, Hamas, and LTTE, which could even be used for fedayeen or suicide missions.

The ₹500 fee also shows how Pakistan-based terror groups continue to raise money under new guises, despite Islamabad’s claims of following Financial Action Task Force (FATF) norms.

Masood Azhar has appointed his younger sister, Sadiya Azhar, to lead the women’s wing. Her husband, JeM commander Yusuf Azhar, was killed during India’s Operation Sindoor. Other members of the leadership council include his sister Safia and Afreera Farooq, the wife of Pulwama attack conspirator Umar Farooq, who was killed in an encounter with Indian security forces.

People monitoring JeM said the group is targeting the wives of its commanders and economically vulnerable women studying at its centres in Bahawalpur, Karachi, Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Haripur, and Mansehra.

A senior counter-terror official said, “After Operation Sindoor and the Pahalgam attack, JeM’s leadership realised that female members could be used to evade security scrutiny and carry out logistics or propaganda operations. This course is part of that strategy.”

Traditionally, JeM, which follows the Deobandi ideology, had not allowed women to participate in armed jihad. But intelligence reports indicate that Masood Azhar and his brother Talha al-Saif have recently approved their inclusion in the group’s operational plans.

Experts said this strategy mirrors tactics used by ISIS, Boko Haram, Hamas, and LTTE, all of which have deployed female combatants or suicide bombers in the past.