How does the Jaish-e-Mohammad operate despite the ban?

The Jaish-e-Mohammad continues to be a powerful player in Pakistan and acting against its chief, Maulana Masood may not be the easiest thing.

He is an extremely important player for the ISI and the army in Pakistan and gradually he has attained the status that is enjoyed by Hafiz Saeed of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba.

When the Jaish-e-Mohammad is not carrying out attacks, it runs a very effective campaign propagating jihad. There are no checks or balances and the Jaish-e-Mohammad under the name of the al-Rahmat trust continues to publish magazines and distribute pamphlets which send out messages to mujahideens to take up jihad, mainly against India.

How does the Jaish-e-Mohammad operate?

The JeM operates through the al-Rahmat trust. The trust although proscribed by the United States of America, continues to collect funds and operates two valid bank accounts in Pakistan. In addition to this it has offices which actively carry out campaigns for the JeM.

These offices have always been the backbone of the JeM. When the outfit was banned in Pakistan in the year 2002, the activities of the JeM continued through these offices.

Today Pakistan has claimed that some of the offices have been sealed, but there is no official confirmation of the same.

The offices of the JeM are based in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi. All these three offices are run by the al-Rahmat trust which is the financial front for the JeM. These offices apart from collecting funds also print and publish several magazines. Many articles in these magazines are penned by Maulana Azhar under the name Saad.

The Rawalpindi office is situated at the Fatah Plaza while the Lahore unit is at the Defence Housing area.

In addition to this there are smaller units of the al-Rahmat trust which are located at Muzzafarabad. India says that acting against the al-Rahmat trust is very important. This trust acts as a front for the JeM and runs the show even if the main outfit is banned.