7 Hours Before India-Pak Cricket Match, Jaish Terror Group Ran Recruitment Drive

Seven hours before the India-Pakistan Asia Cup cricket match in Dubai on September 14, banned terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed held a recruitment drive in Pak's remote Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to an intel dossier accessed by NDTV this week.

Sources said the recruitment drive was an effort to re-build manpower after Indian missiles - fired during Operation Sindoor, the armed response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack - destroyed the Jaish HQ in Bahawalpur. Eight terror camps were targeted during Op Sindoor.

The event was masked as a 'religious gathering' but had armed security courtesy Pak Army personnel and local police, and a headline speaker was Masood Ilyas Kashmiri, a known Jaish commander who raged about the death of founder Masood Azhar's family in those strikes.

"Embracing terrorism, we fought Delhi, Kabul, and Kandahar to protect the borders of this country (Pakistan). After sacrificing everything, on May 7, Maulana Masood Azhar's family was torn apart by Indian forces in Bahawalpur," Kashmiri said in Urdu.

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According to the dossier the event was held at the Marakaz Shohada-e-Islam, which has been undergoing expansion since Op Sindoor. Intel from the area has confirmed increased construction activity and logistical supplies, indicating the group is prepping for recruits.

Masood Azhar's brother, Yusuf, was among 10 family members killed in that attack.

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A 'memorial' for him has been planned, at a markaz in Peshawar, on September 25.

Ilyas Kashmiri is a high-value target for India given his close links to Masood Azhar and his key role in re-building the terrorist group after Operation Sindoor, sources said.

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As part of that re-building the Jaish has adopted an alias for operations within Pakistan.

READ | 'Jaish' No More. Hit By Sanctions, Banned Terror Group Changes Name

The new name is Al-Murabitun, which means 'defenders of Islam' in Arabic. The name change is meant to make it easier for the group - which faces heavy economic sanctions - to raise funds.

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