Proscribed Pakistani terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed has changed its name to Al-Murabitun, which literally means "defenders of Islam" in Arabic, NDTV reported quoting its intelligence sources. The outfit is going to adopt this new identity on a memorial next week for the brother of founder Masood Azhar, Yusuf Azhar.
The report claimed that the organization—culprit behind the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, and attacks on the Army in Uri and Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir—wants to disassociate itself from the "Jaish-e-Mohammed" tag since there are sanctions in place that restrict its funding.
The shift in name is only within Pakistan, the reported added.
A July report by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global watchdog for anti-terror financing, highlighted the financial hurdles confronting the group. The FATF noted that Jaish is now using digital payment methods, including e-wallets and UPI transfers, to channel funds toward its reconstruction efforts.
The FATF has managed to track five such e-wallets, all directly connected to the terror group and Masood Azhar's kin. The group is reported to be planning to raise almost four billion rupees in Pakistani money to create over 300 "markaz," or centers for training.
With digital wallets, Pakistan can assert that funds have been "cut off" via official channels such as banks, thus following FATF rules, while Jaish retains access to money.
The report claimed it recently accessed a dossier highlighting Jaish's attempts to regroup after India dismantled its Bahawalpur base in Operation Sindoor. On 7 May, India launched missile strikes on nine terror camps, including Bahawalpur, in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. The dossier confirms that Jaish-e-Mohammed and other targeted outfits like Hafiz Saeed's Hizbul Mujahideen are shifting deeper into Pakistan, setting up bases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province along the Afghan border.
Part of its rebuilding, the group has also conducted recruitment drives. One was held on September 14 at Garhi Habibullah, Mansehra district. The seminar, organized by Jaish commander Masood Ilyas Kashmiri, consisted of a speech unveiling Pakistan's relations with terror outfits on its territory. It was organized seven hours prior to the India-Pakistan cricket match in Dubai, with Pakistan Army and police providing protection.
