ISI eyes all-women recruitment module in Jammu and Kashmir: Report

Intelligence inputs suggest Pakistan's ISI is attempting to establish a small women-led recruitment and overground worker network in Jammu and Kashmir. The move follows declining terror recruitment, weakened infiltration routes, and the disruption of earlier women-centric recruitment efforts in the region

New Delhi: In recent months, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) have launched separate women’s wings in Pakistan. Although these women recruits have not been used for terror operations such as suicide bombings, they have played a significant role in recruitment drives for both the Jaish and the Lashkar.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that Pakistan’s spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), is attempting to establish a similar network in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). With terror recruitment declining in the Valley, the ISI believes there is a need to create an all-women’s wing in the region, the official added.

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The official said that women are often considered more effective recruiters, particularly among the youth, who tend to be more receptive to their outreach. He explained that women employ recruitment methods that differ significantly from those used by men. Their approach is generally more subtle and persuasive, enabling them to communicate and reinforce their message more effectively.

“It has been observed in several cases that the men recruited through women operatives often display a higher degree of loyalty and can become highly committed to the cause. This is largely because women recruiters are generally more effective in influencing and convincing young people than their male counterparts,” an official said.

Following the Pahalgam terror attack in April last year and the subsequent Operation Sindoor in the next month, the scrutiny in Jammu and Kashmir has intensified considerably. Infiltration declined sharply, and Pakistani terrorists waiting at launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) have largely been unable to cross into Indian territory. The overground worker (OGW) network in the Union Territory has also been significantly weakened. As a result, the ISI has been attempting to recruit new operatives who do not have any prior police records and are less likely to attract the attention of security agencies.

The ISI has also planned an all-women OGW network in Jammu and Kashmir.

“The ISI has realised that none of its plans can be effectively executed unless recruitment levels in Jammu and Kashmir increase. Several recruiters linked to the LeT and JeM have struggled to expand their networks in the Valley, which has affected their ability to mobilise new cadres,” another official said.

According to officials, the ISI is seeking to replicate in Jammu and Kashmir a model that it previously experimented with in Pakistan. The plan involves creating a small women-led recruitment network in the Valley and encouraging its members to adopt methods similar to those used by their counterparts across the border. However, the ISI is reportedly proceeding cautiously and does not intend to expand the initiative on a large scale, as a bigger network would face a greater risk of detection and disruption by security agencies.

Based on multiple intelligence intercepts, Indian security agencies have gathered that the initial plan is to form a small group comprising five to six women and use them to target a limited and carefully selected audience during the first phase of the operation.

“It appears that the Pakistani spy agency is not rushing the initiative and is likely to proceed cautiously and in phases to minimise the risk of detection by security agencies,” officials said.

The all-women module programme in Jammu and Kashmir took a massive beating following the death of the Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DeM). This outfit was run by Asiya Andrabi who was sentenced to life imprisonment by a Delhi court in March 2026. The DeM had close ties with the Hizbul Mujahideen and was very often roped in for recruitments.

The ISI decided to set up a new all-women module after a revival attempt by the DeM was busted by the Counter Intelligence Unit (CIU) of the J&K police in November 2025.

An official said that the plan to revive the DeM was made only with the sole intention of carrying out recruitments by an all-women team. The CIU had thwarted this plan in November last year as well, following raids in Srinagar, Budgam and Kulgam districts.

It was learnt that a woman suspect, Shahzada Akhtar, was allegedly involved in radicalising local women under the pretext of community interaction.

Officials said that the ISI has been struggling to revive DeM and has therefore begun exploring alternative strategies. They noted that, in the absence of support from the Hizbul Mujahideen, it would be difficult for the outfit to regain its footing and operate effectively. This, they said, prompted the ISI to consider a new approach involving the creation of a small but potentially effective women-led recruitment network in Jammu and Kashmir.