A WhatsApp channel operated by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and used to circulate radical content in India has been closed after a report by India Today TV exposed its targeted outreach to white-collar professionals.
The channel, which boasted more than 13,000 followers, emerged as a key online tool for the group’s propaganda efforts among influential sectors such as doctors, journalists, and other professionals.
Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, removed the channel after the India Today report was published. The channel’s activities included sharing audio and video messages, as well as ideological briefings, designed to amplify JeM’s narratives to a diverse audience.
WHAT WAS THE MODUS OPERANDI?
India Today’s investigation involved undercover reporters who, after the 2019 Balakot strikes, worked for weeks to establish contact with JeM operatives in Pakistan. The team used SIM cards linked to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar, building credible covers before the operatives revealed key details about their operations and losses.
Historically, JeM refrained from using modern communication channels. The group discouraged mobile phone and internet use, and its leader Masood Azhar maintained a very low online presence, primarily limiting communications to closed Telegram groups and obscure blogs.
JeM’s operational culture changed significantly after Operation Sindoor in 2024, which caused major damage to its headquarters. On June 27, 2024, Azhar made a rare public appearance at a wedding and allowed his speech to be recorded, which was later verified by India Today’s OSINT team. This event marked a new phase in the group’s outreach strategy.
Following Operation Sindoor, JeM began to exploit WhatsApp as a channel to influence Indian smartphone users susceptible to radicalisation. The group launched open channels, including one named after Markaz Sayyedna Tamim Dari (MSTD), quickly amassing over 13,000 followers since its creation in January 2024.
In addition to the main channel, JeM-affiliated channels such as Madrasah Sayyidina Zayd Bin Sabit attracted thousands more followers. These platforms regularly distributed sermons, ideological messages, and calls for followers to adopt a hardline religious stance.
JeM also pushed recycled speeches, digital literature, e-books, nasheeds and remote classes from Bahawalpur, Pakistan, into India via these channels. The open nature of these platforms provided JeM’s leadership with direct and unfiltered access to individuals in India considered vulnerable to radicalisation.
– Ends
Tune In
