An alarming pattern of terror financing has once again surfaced in Pakistan. Two United Nations-designated terrorist organizations—Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)—are reportedly exploiting the situation in the Gaza Strip to raise funds. They are channeling humanitarian appeals into efforts that would rebuild their own networks and bolster recruitment.
Funds raised by JeM and LeT are reportedly used for reconstructing their terror infrastructure. This includes recruiting new cadres for their activities that could potentially target Western and other nations.
According to the South Asia Press,
“Groups like Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), both proscribed for their roles in attacks against India and beyond, have seized on the Israel-Hamas war to solicit donations under the guise of aid for Palestinians. A report recently published details how these organizations are raising funds for items like mosque reconstruction, prayer mats and winter kits, while diverting resources to revive terror infrastructure damaged by international sanctions.
“The campaigns, often conducted through digital wallets, cryptocurrencies and mobile apps like Easypaisa, aim to evade scrutiny from global watchdogs such as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which has long criticized Pakistan’s lax enforcement against terror financing.
“Family members of JeM’s founder, Masood Azhar—a U.N.-designated terrorist believed to be living freely in Pakistan—are at the forefront. His son, Hammad Azhar, and brother, Talha al-Saif, have been linked to these drives, promoting donations for ‘religious causes’ that mask support for operations in Jammu and Kashmir. Similarly, LeT, infamous for the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people, has leveraged online platforms to collect funds ostensibly for Gaza relief, but with ties to rebuilding training camps and arming recruits.”
Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) is an Islamic terrorist group based in Pakistan that seeks to annex the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir to Pakistan and govern Pakistan according to Sharia law. Masood Azhar founded the group in 1994. He is listed by the United States as a specially designated terrorist.
Since its formation, the group has claimed responsibility for multiple terrorist attacks in Kashmir, India and Pakistan. It began to refocus its efforts in 2008 with the goal of combating U.S. and coalition forces based in Afghanistan. The group maintains close relations with Afghanistan’s Taliban and Al-Qaeda. It regularly targets government and security forces through armed attacks and suicide bombings.
Osama bin Laden, along with Pakistan’s Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI), the Afghan Taliban and several Islamist fundamentalist groups reportedly supported Azhar in forming JeM. Azhar has publicly made statements calling for jihad targeting Kashmir as well as attacks against Israeli and U.S. interests.
According to the Mapping Militants Project (MMP),
“JeM has publicly declared war on the United States and intends to drive Hindus and other non-Muslims from the subcontinent. The group has also called for the destruction of India, Israel and the United States by waging jihad against the governments for violating the rights of Muslim people.”
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) is a Pakistan-based terrorist group formed in 1990 that primarily targets Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.
The MMP notes that LeT seeks to establish an Islamic caliphate in South Asia. It has declared that the United States, Israel and India are existential enemies of Islam. LeT has conducted numerous deadly attacks against Indian officials, troops, and civilians in Kashmir, as well as throughout India and Afghanistan. The group maintains training camps, facilities, schools, and medical clinics in Pakistan. In 2008, both the United States and the United Nations placed sanctions on several senior LeT leaders. According to the MMP,
“The group’s most notorious large-scale attack took place in Mumbai in November 2008, known as the 26/11 attacks. The attack employed common LeT tactics but on a much larger scale than any previous incident. Ten attackers killed 166 people over 60 hours at five landmarks and establishments popular with foreigners across the city. The focus on Westerners in this attack—Jews and Israelis, in particular—evidenced LeT’s global agenda.”
During this massacre, one of the targets of the terrorists was a Chabad center in Mumbai.
In 2018, Pakistan was put on the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring, more commonly known as the “Grey List.” In 2022, Pakistan was removed from this list. However, last year, FATF warned Pakistan that removal from the Grey List does not make it immune to money laundering and terrorist financing.
According to reports from the region, in an effort to assist JeM to raise funds, Pakistan’s Intelligence Agency (ISI) has allegedly identified gaps in the FATF and altered its modus operandi of terror financing.
The news website, Daily News and Analysis (DNA India), explains the modus operandi between Pakistan’s intelligence agency and JeM as follows:
“Muslims across the world, particularly those of the Pakistani diaspora, were asked to donate to building mosques and madrasas. A separate fund was created to help the people of the Gaza Strip, though the money was siphoned off. Muslim donors were encouraged to pay using wallets. Besides, Jaish-e-Muhammad started collecting money from mosques on Fridays. This collection was in cash and was distributed among different branches and operatives of the Pakistan-based terrorist organization. A separate Al Rahmat Trust was used for funneling another PKR 10 crore annually through bank accounts under fake trustees.”
The news website FirstPost also reported:
“Apart from online channels, JeM leaders are also collecting money in mosques during Friday prayers. While these contributions are presented as donations for humanitarian work in Gaza, officials believe the funds are being diverted to JeM’s operations.”
Based on U.S. State Department Country Reports on Terrorism, particularly in 2019 and subsequent years, Pakistan has been identified as a safe haven for terrorist groups, including LeT and JeM.
Meanwhile, a new report from the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) warns that Pakistan is becoming a new base for Hamas to reorganize, posing a direct risk to Western interests. The report details how Hamas representatives operate freely in Pakistan, participating in public events and forging alliances with local militant groups. This activity, which includes Hamas figures sharing stages with Pakistan-based terrorist organizations, signals Islamabad’s tacit support. It further undermines counterterrorism efforts.
Western governments should cease viewing terror groups like JeM and LeT as local problems or inconveniences in distant lands. Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, JeM, LeT, ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, the Taliban and other jihadist groups are all ideological affiliates with similar objectives and strategies, despite their having occasional minor differences.
Terrorism and its illicit funding are probably the two most widespread phenomena in Pakistan. Islamic terror groups see their fight against India and Kashmir as part of their global jihad. All jihadist groups and radical Islamists seek to establish Islamic caliphates after conquering what they call Dar al-Harb (“Land of War”), territories outside Muslim rule. This includes the West and Israel, where Islamic law is not practiced.
Often these organizations also exploit local humanitarian sentiments for their own terrorist agendas. The question that should be answered is “how many so-called relief funds and donations claiming to help Gazans have been directly funneled to terrorist groups?”
