Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), meaning “Army of Muhammad” was founded nearly 25 years ago by Maulana Masood Azhar in February 2000 two months after he was released in exchange for hostages during the hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight IC-814.
The Indian Airlines Airbus A300 aircraft carrying 179 passengers and 11 crew members was hijacked en route from Kathmandu to Delhi on 24 December 1999. Ajit Doval was one of the three officers hand-picked to negotiate with the hijackers on its behalf by the Government of India after the aircraft landed in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
The hijackers demanded the release, of three militants, in exchange for releasing the hostages in Kandahar, Afghanistan. One of the militants released in exchange for hostages in the IC-814 hijacking was Maulana Masood Azhar who was arrested in Srinagar (J&K, India) for terrorist activities in 1994.
Masood Azhar’s brothers Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar and Ibrahim Athar played significant roles in the planning and execution of the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight IC-814. Masood Azhar’s 24-year-old younger brother Rauf Asghar masterminded the IC-814 hijacking to secure the release of his elder brother who was imprisoned in India at the time. He coordinated the operation from Karachi, Pakistan, while Masood Azhar’s elder brother Ibrahim Athar Alvi was the leader of the hijackers aboard Flight IC-814. He was one of the five hijackers who took control of the flight and played a direct role in the hijacking, which ultimately led to the release of Masood Azhar. Both of them were key figures in the hijacking that culminated in the release of Masood Azhar, who subsequently founded Jaish-e-Mohammed, an organization responsible for several major terrorist attacks in India.
Two months after his release, Azhar founded Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) in 2000 with the support of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Taliban, and Osama bin Laden. In no time, the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) gained notoriety as one of South Asia’s most dangerous terrorist organisations, responsible for attacks on hundreds of civilians and armed forces personnel. As a result, Jaish-e-Mohammed quickly evolved into one of the most lethal terrorist organisations operating out of Pakistan.
JeM today has been classified as an international terrorist organization by the USA, European Union, United Nations, United Kingdom, India, and Australia. However, despite these bans, JeM has survived and has rebranded itself leveraging political protection in Pakistan.
Some of JeM’s deadliest attacks on Indian soil include:
- The 2001 Indian Parliament attack
- The 2016 Pathankot airbase attack
- The 2019 Pulwama attack, which killed 40 Indian security personnel
Born on July 10, 1968, in Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan, Maulana Masood Azhar dropped out of school after class 8, and joined Harkat-ul-Ansar, a militant group to take part in the Soviet-Afghan War.
Arrest and release
Azhar was arrested in Srinagar, India, for his involvement in terrorist activities in 1994. He remained in jail till December 1999, when he was released after the hijackers demanded his release, along with two other militants, in exchange for hostages during the Indian Airlines Flight IC-814 hijacking.
During this period, his good friend Tahir Nadeem Rana, known as Ghazi Baba, who also belonged to Bahawalpur, Pakistan, stepped in and filled the vacuum in leadership, command, and control. Both had received military training and fought against Russian troops in Afghanistan in the 1980s.
On May 1, 2019, the United Nations Security Council designated Masood Azhar as a global terrorist. No one knows his exact whereabouts. In December 2024, there were reports that he suffered a heart attack and was hospitalized in Pakistan. During this period his brothers took over operational command and kept the group functional.
Organizational structure
Jaish-e-Mohammed is not just another terrorist group. It is like a tightly run family enterprise, driven by blood ties, loyalty, and clan dynamics instead of ideology. At the top of JeM is the Azhar family. Maulana Masood Azhar serves as the ideological head and spiritual leader. His brother, Abdul Rauf Asghar, plays a crucial role, and other family members, including his father and several brothers and brothers-in-law, are also involved in various capacities within the organization. His brothers — Rauf Asghar, Ibrahim Athar, and Abdul Rauf — have held key operational and strategic positions. When Masood Azhar is incapacitated due to health issues his brothers smoothly take over operational command, keeping the group functional.
The leadership rarely moves out of the family circle. Trusted cousins and in-laws are placed in sensitive roles like finance management, recruitment, logistics, and foreign operations. These days Masood Azhar is believed to be under “protective custody” in Pakistan but continues to exert influence while JeM’s splinter groups operate under different names to avoid sanctions.
Several key positions are held by Masood Azhar’s close relatives in JeM. Here’s a list of some of his family members and their role within the organization:
Abdul Rauf Asghar – Masood Azhar’s younger brother is a senior leader and the intelligence coordinator of JeM. He was involved in the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC 814 (which led to Masood Azhar’s release) and the 2016 Pathankot attack and has also reportedly served as the “acting leader” during Masood Azhar’s absence.
Mohammed Yousuf Azhar-Masood Azhar’s brother-in-law is reportedly the head of training activities of the group.
Ibrahim Athar Alvi — Masood Azhar’s older brother is the operational head of the organization and was the alleged mastermind behind the IC-814 hijacking.
Maulana Ashfaq Ahmad — Another brother-in-law of Masood Azhar is the coordinator of Al Rehmat Trust, which is the fundraising arm for JeM.
Talha Saif — Another brother of Masood Azhar, is the head of Al-Murabitoon, the student wing of JeM.
The JeM leadership rarely moves out of the family. Trusted cousins and in-laws are placed in sensitive roles like finance management, recruitment, logistics, and foreign operations — making JeM incredibly resilient to external infiltration and internal dissent.
Today with the support and backing of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Taliban, and radical Deobandi networks the Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) has developed as a fearsome global jihadist movement and militant outfit with deep ties with Pakistan.
JeM functions as a tight-knit, family-controlled organization with different wings in Punjab (Pakistan), Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), and sleeper cells within Indian Kashmir. Each of these is controlled by a Regional Commander who is a family member, close relative, or friend. This makes it difficult for external agencies or counter-terrorism agents to penetrate.
Its primary goal is the “Liberation” of Jammu and Kashmir from India and secondary goals include the expansion of radical Islamist ideology across South Asia, targeting Indian security forces, political leaders, and civilians, and supporting global jihad alongside groups like Al-Qaeda and Taliban factions.
Recruitment and training
JeM follows a family-first approach in recruitment also. New operatives are often relatives, neighbors, or from the same Deobandi sect that the Azhar family belongs to. Loyalty is valued more than competence — to ensure that there are no betrayals or leaks. Marriages within the extended family and among trusted affiliates further cement loyalty to the cause. This structure mirrors traditional business families of South Asia, where trust is built on kinship rather than corporate contracts.
JeM’s recruitment strategy is to target young men from poor rural backgrounds and promise martyrdom and financial incentives to their families to make them volunteer for the fidayeen (suicide) attacks. The recruits are trained in training camps and recruitment centers in Balakot, Bahawalpur (JeM headquarters), and PoK regions.
Advantages of family control
Operating like a family business gives JeM several key advantages:
- No succession battles, as seen in groups like the Taliban or Al-Qaeda.
- Internal security is easier to maintain when every one is bound by blood and marriage.
- Family members are expected to be more trustworthy and less likely to betray the organization.
- Commands can be quickly disseminated without bureaucratic delays in planning swift attacks.
- It can facilitate the transfer of leadership and ensure the long life of the group’s ideology and operations across generations.
- Even if one member is killed or arrested, the rest of the family steps in without organizational chaos.
Disadvantages of family control
However, the “family business” model also has limitations:
- Prioritizing loyalty over skill can limit operational effectiveness.
- As younger family members rise, generational clashes could emerge.
- International intelligence agencies can track family members to understand organizational dynamics and movements.
JeM and the Pakistani establishment
Despite being banned by Pakistan (under international pressure), Jaish-e-Mohammed continues to operate with tacit support from sections of Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies. The Azhar family’s deep-rooted ties within Punjab, Pakistan — and their ability to project plausible deniability — have shielded them from serious crackdowns. Occasionally, symbolic actions like “house arrest” deflect international pressure, but operational capabilities remain intact.
Conclusion: Terrorism as a family enterprise
Jaish-e-Mohammed’s structure is a reminder that terrorist organizations are not always cold, bureaucratic machines. Sometimes, they are deeply personal dynasties, operating like medieval fiefdoms, where blood ties supersede ideology. As long as the Azhar clan continues to enjoy local protection and international neglect, Jaish-e-Mohammed is likely to survive — not just as a terrorist group, but as a family-owned franchise of violence.
