Two months after the country of Pakistan exited the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list, the Islamic terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) has begun its regrouping and collecting funds from people on the pretext of building mosques in the country.
The Masood Azhar-led terror group which is responsible for many attacks against India including the hijacking of the Indian Airlines Flight IC 814, the attack on the Indian Parliament, and the Pathankot attack in 2016, has now restarted its annual fund collection drive.
According to an exclusive report by India Today, the JeM is collecting money on the pretext of building hundreds of mosques in the country of Pakistan. The terror outfit has also sent an open invitation to the masses on several social media platforms to seek donations from the public for claimed religious purposes through bank accounts.
#Exclusive: After being taken off the FATF grey list, terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed starts regrouping
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) December 20, 2022
India Today’s @AnkiitKoomar shares more details.
Strategic Affairs minster Sushant Sareen questions FATF #ITVideo | @Chaiti pic.twitter.com/W92WvwylRR
Some of the WhatsApp chats and audio conversations between the ‘donors’ and JeM terrorists have been attained by India Today which shows people asking for bank details to deposit the so-called donation amount. One of the under-cover reporters at India Today meanwhile is heard talking to one Imran Khan Mohammad from JeM. He is heard saying that he has been following JeM activities and that he is happy about JeM regrouping and collecting funds. Imran while talking to the reporter says that he is from Peshawar.
“I am happy that the activities of JeM have begun again by Allah’s grace. I just saw the message on the group and I wanted to contribute for the purpose. I have also given zakat (a donation given in Islam for religious purposes) and want to continue giving it. I just wanted to know where are you building the mosque?” the reporter asked amid the exclusive coverage.
Imran Khan Mohammad responded to this saying that the terror outfit has been collecting funds from villages and nearby areas from Peshawar and that the Mosque would be built in Peshawar. “Now we are building a mosque in Peshawar. More mosques are to be built across the country, in several villages and districts. I will send you the details on this,” Khan said.
The India Today report monitored several social media links and groups associated with the banned terror outfit to find that a lot of conversation has happened around the new mosque that is to be built in Peshawar. The report mentions that every year JeM terror group launches a mass donation drive to collect money from the public on the pretext of building mosques. “They come up with a particular number of mosques to be built. This time its 313. This is the old module of how JeM collects funds for its terror activities,” the report stated.
The exclusive report also stated that the team communicated to several operatives from Saudi Arabia and London who revealed the details of the project and bank details which are being used for collecting funds on the pretext of building mosques.
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on October 2022 excluded Pakistan from the grey list of global watchdogs on terror financing and money laundering. “Pakistan is no longer subject to FATF’s increased monitoring process; to continue to work with APG (Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering) to further improve its AML/CFT (anti-money laundering & counter-terrorist financing) system,” FATF was quoted saying.
Earlier in November, there were media reports stating that the terrorist group had begun large-scale construction work near its headquarters in Bahawalpur. According to the reports, the area was acquired by the terrorist group in 2022 and it houses a seminary that teaches several hundred children.
The JeM is an Islamic terrorist organization with its base in Pakistan and is active in the terrorist violence in Jammu and Kashmir. It has been associated with multiple terrorist attacks on Indian soil.
