In a major counter-terror breakthrough, security agencies have arrested Dr Shaheena Shahid, a woman doctor from Uttar Pradesh, accused of heading the women’s wing of Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) in India. The arrest has exposed how JeM’s new female front, formed just days ago in Pakistan, had begun taking root in India.
Dr Shaheena Shahid, employed with Al-Falah University, was allegedly tasked with setting up and commanding Jamaat-ul-Mominat, the women’s wing of JeM in India. Intelligence sources revealed that the wing’s overall command in Pakistan is held by Saeeda Azhar, sister of JeM founder Masood Azhar. Saeeda’s husband, Yusuf Azhar, was among those involved in the 1999 Kandahar hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814 and was later killed when Indian airstrikes targeted JeM’s Bahawalpur headquarters during Operation Sindoor on May 7.
The arrest of Dr Shaheena came after a coordinated operation between Jammu & Kashmir Police and Haryana Police, which dismantled a major Jaish module spanning multiple states. Security forces recovered assault rifles, pistols and 14 bags of ammonium nitrate weighing over 360 kg from a rented room in Faridabad. Officials confirmed that a Swift car belonging to Dr Shaheena was also seized, containing a Krinkov assault rifle with three magazines and 83 rounds, a pistol with eight live rounds, two magazines and two empty shells.
The operation followed the earlier arrest of Dr Adil Ahmad Rather, a doctor at Government Medical College, Anantnag, from whose locker an AK-47 rifle had been recovered. His interrogation led investigators to other suspects, including Dr Muzammil, a senior doctor at Al-Falah Medical College, and Dr Shaheena Shahid.
Searches in Faridabad and Saharanpur after these disclosures resulted in the recovery of more explosives and chemicals, later confirmed to be ammonium nitrate. Authorities initially feared the presence of RDX.
According to intelligence assessments, Dr Adil Rather acted as the key handler for JeM in India, maintaining direct contact with Pakistan’s ISI and overseeing recruitment and logistics. Investigators believe the module was plotting three major terror attacks across Delhi-NCR and western India using the seized explosives and weapons.
Recovered communication devices have revealed encrypted chats with Pakistan-based handlers, linking the JeM module to Ansar Ghazwa-ul-Hind (AGuH), an Al-Qaeda affiliate active in South Kashmir.
The revelations come just days after Jaish-e-Mohammad formally launched its first women’s wing, Jamaat-ul-Mominat, in Pakistan. On November 6, the group announced that Saeeda Azhar would head the unit from JeM’s Bahawalpur base. The new formation is aimed at expanding the group’s reach and recruitment capabilities by involving women in its operations.
Local reports describe Saeeda Azhar as a self-proclaimed religious leader with strong influence in specific communities. She has reportedly been using her religious standing and social outreach to encourage women to join the outfit.
An October 29 report by The Times of India said that shortly after the women’s wing was announced, Masood Azhar released a 21-minute audio message from JeM’s headquarters, Markaz Usman-o-Alki in Bahawalpur. In the message, he laid out a detailed plan for training, indoctrinating, and deploying women under the new brigade.
Azhar’s remarks came as Indian women continue to play increasingly significant roles in national defence. According to 2023 government figures, nearly 7,000 female officers serve in the Indian Army and over 1,600 in the Air Force. Recently, Squadron Leader Shivangi Singh, India’s first woman Rafale pilot, hosted President Droupadi Murmu at the Ambala Air Force Base for a tour of the fighter jets.
In his audio address, Azhar imposed strict rules for recruits. Women joining Jamaat-ul-Mominat were instructed not to speak to any “unrelated men through phone or messenger, except their husbands or immediate family members.” He urged them to study his pamphlet ‘Ae Musalman Behna’, a document believed to be central to the group’s indoctrination process.
Azhar also announced that branches of the women’s wing would be set up in every district of Pakistan, with each branch headed by a muntazima (manager) responsible for recruitment and local operations.
Intelligence inputs indicate that JeM’s strategy to create a women’s wing marks a shift in the group’s recruitment pattern, designed to make its operations less detectable. Women operatives, often less scrutinized by security agencies, are expected to handle communication, logistics and recruitment in India under the guise of legitimate activities.
Sources say Dr Shaheena Shahid’s role was critical in this structure. She allegedly coordinated with Pakistani handlers to establish the network, using her academic and professional background to approach young recruits, particularly in medical and educational institutions.
The arrests and seizures have significantly disrupted JeM’s plans to operationalize its new women’s wing within India. However, intelligence agencies caution that the attempt reflects the group’s intent to diversify and expand its footprint through female operatives, with the backing of Pakistan’s intelligence establishment.