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ABP Exclusive: How Pakistan’s Terror Network Dodged FATF Scrutiny—JeM’s PKR 3.91-Billion ‘Digital Hawala’

by aweeincm

August 14, 2025

ABP Digital Super Exclusive: In a bid to evade the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), terrorists have gone digital. Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) has launched a PKR 3.91-billion fundraising drive via digital wallets. ABP News has also obtained video evidence of cash donations being collected.
In 2019, to secure Pakistan’s removal from FATF’s grey list, the country implemented the National Action Plan. Pakistan claimed to FATF that it had curbed JeM by taking its markaz under government control, placing JeM chief Masood Azhar, his brother Rauf Asghar, and youngest brother Talha Al Saif’s bank accounts under official watch. It also banned cash transactions, animal hide donations, and other forms of fundraising.
Following this, JeM began raising funds and conducting transactions through Pakistani digital wallets—“EasyPaisa” and “SadaPay.” Instead of bank accounts, the money was routed to the digital wallets of Masood Azhar’s family members. This allowed Pakistan to falsely claim to the FATF—by showing only bank account details—that JeM’s funding had been cut off.
<h3>Operation Sindoor and Online Fundraising</h3>
On 7 May, during India’s “Operation Sindoor,” JeM’s headquarters Markaz Subhanallah was destroyed along with four other training camps—Markaz Bilal, Markaz Abbas, Mahmona Joya, and the Sargal training camp. While Pakistan’s government announced funding to rebuild these facilities, JeM simultaneously launched an online campaign via EasyPaisa to raise ₹3.91 billion for constructing 313 new markaz across Pakistan.
 <img style=”display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;” src=”https://feeds.abplive.com/onecms/images/uploaded-images/2025/08/13/3807d62cafbd8380789363d45e6bf61a175510501417825_original.JPEG” width=”720″ />
Social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp channels have carried posters, videos, and a letter from Masood Azhar urging supporters to contribute PKR 12.5 million (PKR 1 crore 25 lakh) for each markaz. Supporters in Pakistan and abroad are being asked to donate, totalling PKR 3.91 billion (PKR 391 crore).
 <img style=”display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;” src=”https://feeds.abplive.com/onecms/images/uploaded-images/2025/08/13/05e6eff2486699af6a404822971352ce175510506647525_original.JPG” width=”720″ />
ABP News has obtained a copy of a donation receipt for JeM’s campaign. The investigation found proof that the PKR 3.94 billion is being collected through three Pakistani digital wallets.<img style=”display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;” src=”https://feeds.abplive.com/onecms/images/uploaded-images/2025/08/13/084289ad69b2a82b973bf7bda6b12af4175510511107625_original.JPEG” width=”720″ />
One such SadaPay account is in the name of Masood Azhar’s brother Talha Al Saif (Talha Gulzar), linked to the Pakistani mobile number +92 3025xxxx56. This number is registered to JeM Haripur district commander Aftab Ahmad, whose CNIC number 133020376995 lists the address of JeM’s camp in Khala Batt Township, Haripur.
 <img style=”display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;” src=”https://feeds.abplive.com/onecms/images/uploaded-images/2025/08/13/24d506898edf1648713bbb0e3832704c175510593823725_original.JPEG” width=”720″ />
Another fundraising channel operates via an EasyPaisa wallet linked to mobile number +92 33xxxx4937, run by Masood Azhar’s son Abdullah Azhar. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, JeM commander Syed Safdar Shah is collecting donations for the markaz via his EasyPaisa wallet linked to +92 344147xxxx and CNIC 4250142079691, which lists his address near Melwarah Post Office, Oghi, Mansehra district.
 <img style=”display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;” src=”https://feeds.abplive.com/onecms/images/uploaded-images/2025/08/13/9e825918f547c05fbe9d493b069c7cd3175510597209425_original.JPEG” width=”720″ />
While building a markaz is considered a sacred religious act in Islam, JeM uses them as terrorist training and lodging facilities. The Markaz Subhanallah targeted by India on 7 May was not only JeM’s HQ but also a training ground for weapons handling and a residential hub. In the strike, 14 people were killed, including Masood Azhar’s brother-in-law Jameel Ahmad, his nephew Hamza Jameel, Abdul Rauf’s son Huzaifa Asghar (JeM’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recruitment head), and other militants.
<img style=”display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;” src=”https://feeds.abplive.com/onecms/images/uploaded-images/2025/08/13/8477afc7864d823797693519bc516b36175510529272525_original.JPEG” width=”720″ /> Just 6 km from Markaz Subhanallah lies Markaz Usman-o-Ali, where Masood Azhar’s family has been residing since the strike. On 10 May, an MP from Bahawalpur met the injured family members there. On 21 May, Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives visited the same markaz.<img style=”display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;” src=”https://feeds.abplive.com/onecms/images/uploaded-images/2025/08/13/0c2895839339bd6313cc90737625d79b175510533238725_original.JPEG” width=”720″ />
Similarly, Markaz Bilal in Muzaffarabad and Markaz Abbas in Kotli were also built for militant lodging and training. Indian strikes there killed militants Hassan and Waqas. JeM’s senior commander Masood Ilyas Kashmiri, wanted in India, is currently residing in Markaz Tamim Dari in Dar Samand, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. <img style=”display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;” src=”https://feeds.abplive.com/onecms/images/uploaded-images/2025/08/13/5ebfd62644ba63164381fc262d29ef7b175510536830925_original.JPEG” width=”720″ />
In Karachi, JeM operates Markaz Ifta, spread over 1.5 acres, where clerics brainwash young children. It also serves as JeM’s publication and propaganda hub, releasing daily letters and speeches of Masood Azhar and his brothers through proxy social media accounts. The official JeM social media page is linked to the number +92 316xxxxx66, registered to a woman named Rozina (CNIC 4220176122374) whose address is near Markaz Ifta.
According to Intel sources, JeM currently operates over 2,000 Pakistani digital wallets on EasyPaisa and SadaPay, not only collecting markaz donations but also funds under the pretext of aiding Gaza. One such Gaza-linked wallet is tied to the number +92xxxx195206, registered to Khalid Ahmad but operated by Masood Azhar’s son Hammad Azhar.
Cybersecurity expert Amit Dubey explains JeM’s choice and said, “EasyPaisa and SadaPay function outside the banking network and allow wallet-to-wallet and wallet-to-cash transfers via agents, making FATF monitoring nearly impossible, and FATF can only track transactions through SWIFT or bank networks.”
Sources from Intelligence reveal Masood Azhar’s family uses 7–8 mobile wallets at a time, replacing them every 3–4 months, transferring lump sums to fresh accounts. Large sums accumulate in core wallets, then are split into smaller amounts across 10–15 wallets for cash withdrawal or online wallet-based transfers. JeM activates at least 30 new wallets each month to prevent source tracing.
Indian intelligence agencies are tracking this online network. Currently, 80% of JeM’s funding is via these digital wallets, with PKR 800–900 million (PKR 80–90 crore) transacted annually. The funds are used for weapons purchases, camp operations, propaganda, luxury vehicles, and goods for Masood Azhar’s family. A significant share comes from Gulf countries. EasyPaisa effectively functions as a “digital hawala” for JeM. <img style=”display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;” src=”https://feeds.abplive.com/onecms/images/uploaded-images/2025/08/13/29afa8a55b7a9731c265e5736c67640b175510540782425_original.JPEG” width=”720″ />
Beyond online donations, JeM militants also collect funds in mosques every Friday despite the ban. ABP News obtained video from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa showing JeM militants counting cash after Friday prayers. This collection, allegedly for Gaza, was handled by JeM commander Waseem Chouhan, alias Waseem Khan, alias Akbar.
 <img style=”display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;” src=”https://feeds.abplive.com/onecms/images/uploaded-images/2025/08/13/9146f6b768a8949fb0fbd33462276f8c175510546529625_original.JPEG” width=”720″ />
JeM’s Al Rahmat Trust also remains active, contributing 6–7% (PKR 10 crore annually) to the group’s funds. ABP News obtained evidence that donations to Al Rahmat Trust are collected in an account at National Bank in Bahawalpur (Account No. 105XX9) under Ghulam Murtaza. The trust is operated by Masood Azhar, Talha Al Saif, and others, including Mohammad Ismail of Bahawalpur (CNIC 312014281511), Mohammad Farooq of Lahore (CNIC 3620165338575), Fazal-ur-Rehman of Chitral (CNIC 1520197787885), and Rehan Abdul Razzaq of Karachi (CNIC 4210119138007). Posters openly state the donations are for jihad.
Sources say JeM raises over PKR 100 crore annually through digital wallets, bank transfers, and cash. About 50% is spent on arms. While JeM claims each markaz will cost PKR 12.5 million, estimates suggest a Markaz Bilal-sized facility costs only PKR 4–5 million. Larger markaz like Subhanallah or Usman-o-Ali may cost around PKR 100 million, but it is unlikely all 313 will be this large. If built, with 3 large markaz and 310 smaller ones, the total construction cost would be about PKR 1.23 billion (PKR 123 crore), leaving a large surplus for weapons purchases.
Given JeM’s Hamas connections and leadership meetings, retired Colonel and defence expert Shailendra Singh warns that the surplus could be used to acquire advanced weaponry and maybe attack drones. It is widely known that Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI helps JeM procure arms cheaply from the black market. Today, JeM’s arsenal already includes machine guns, rocket launchers, and mortars. Thus, this PKR 3.91 billion campaign could heavily bolster its arms stockpile.
Sources suggest JeM may have two key motives for constructing 313 markaz. First, to replicate Lashkar-e-Taiba’s vast markaz network, decentralising its training camps so that future Indian strikes, such as <a title=”Operation Sindoor” href=”https://news.abplive.com/topic/operation-sindoor” data-type=”interlinkingkeywords”>Operation Sindoor</a>, would have minimal impact on its terror infrastructure in Pakistan. Second, to establish secure, lavish safe houses for Masood Azhar and his family, enabling them to maintain plausible deniability about their whereabouts. Under this plan, 3–4 large markaz would function as safe houses, medium-sized facilities would serve as training camps, and the remainder would handle logistics, allowing JeM to operate nationwide while Pakistan’s government continues to deny Azhar’s presence. The PKR 3.94 billion fundraising drive would secure JeM’s operational and weapons financing for at least the next decade.
Retired Colonel and Defence Expert Shailendra Singh stresses that India must act before this network is built, as once 313 markaz are in place, JeM’s operations will become easier while India’s challenges will multiply. FATF, having trusted Pakistan enough to remove it from the grey list, must now take decisive action in light of this report, as Pakistan and its terror network are not only blatantly deceiving the watchdog but also placing the entire South Asian region under the threat of an expanded terror infrastructure.

BoloIndiaNews

ABP Exclusive: How Pakistan’s Terror Network Dodged FATF Scrutiny—JeM’s PKR 3.91-Billion ‘Digital Hawala’

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