Hours before the high-profile India–Pakistan cricket match in Dubai on September 14, the terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) held a public recruitment drive at Garhi Habibullah in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Mansehra district.
According to sources, following the destruction of their bases during India’s Operation Sindoor, both JeM and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) have initiated a calculated strategic shift of their activities into Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province.
On May 7, the Indian Air Force struck two major facilities—Markaz Subhanallah in Bahawalpur and Markaz Taiba near Muridke—while the Army simultaneously targeted seven other locations, including Mehmoona Joya in Sialkot; Sawai Nala and Syed Na Bilal in Muzaffarabad; Gulpur and Abbas in Kotli; Barnala in Bhimber; and Sarjal.
This relocation underscores a significant tactical adaptation by JeM and HM, who now regard Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) as vulnerable to Indian precision strikes, while KPK offers greater operational depth owing to its geography, proximity to the Afghan frontier, and entrenched jihadi safe havens dating back to the Afghan war.
Sources further confirmed that the movement is being carried out with the full knowledge and facilitation of Pakistan’s state structures, evidenced by overt JeM gatherings under police protection and tacit backing from political-religious outfits like Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI).
The recruitment rally, held just seven hours before the cricket match, was reportedly organised jointly by JeM and JUI under the guise of a “Deobandi religious gathering.”
Videos of the rally went viral on social media, showing the event being addressed by Maulana Mufti Masood Ilyas Kashmiri, alias Abu Mohammad, JeM’s Amir for KPK and Kashmir.
Kashmiri, a high-value target wanted in India and closely associated with JeM founder Maulana Masood Azhar, was guarded by JeM cadres armed with M4 rifles and local police officers, including Inspector Liaqat Shah of Garhi Habibullah Police Station.
Debriefings of attendees and corroborated video analysis reveal that Kashmiri’s 30-minute speech glorified Osama bin Laden as the Shohada-e-Islam and “Prince of Arabia,” linking JeM’s ideology to Al-Qaeda’s legacy.
He further described Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as a perpetual safe haven for mujahideen, recalling how Masood Azhar, after being released during the IC-814 Kandahar hijacking, established Balakot in KPK as his operational hub.
Kashmiri also claimed that after the May 7 Indian strike killed members of Masood Azhar’s family, the then Chief of Army Staff (now Field Marshal) Asim Munir personally ordered GHQ to direct military commanders to attend the funerals of JeM terrorists, instructed the Pakistan Air Force to provide overhead security, and mandated soldiers to salute dead JeM operatives in uniform. These details, presented by Kashmiri, positioned the Pakistan Army and government not merely as protectors but as active participants in jihad.
The rally’s true purpose, according to sources, was recruitment for JeM’s Mansehra training facility, Marakaz Shohada-e-Islam, which has been undergoing expansion since Operation Sindoor. Construction activity and increased logistical inflows at the site have been reported, directly linking the facility to Kashmiri’s recruitment appeals.
Meanwhile, Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), led by ex-Pakistani commando Khalid Khan, is constructing a new training camp named “HM 313” in the Bandaai area of Lower Dir, KPK. Land for the facility was discreetly acquired in August 2024, and construction resumed after Operation Sindoor.
Observers on the ground report newly built boundary walls and initial training infrastructure. The “313” designation symbolically references both the Battle of Badr and Al-Qaeda’s Brigade 313, underscoring Hizbul’s intent to draw global jihadi legitimacy.