Pakistan rebuilds JeM headquarters after Operation Sindoor, officials say

Pakistani authorities have reportedly funded the restoration of the Jaish-e-Mohammed headquarters in Bahawalpur after its destruction during Operation Sindoor. Intelligence officials said activity has resumed under tighter security, while the ISI has reportedly revised its strategy to protect trained cadres

New Delhi: Pakistani authorities reportedly provided approximately 250 million PKR to restore the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) headquarters in Bahawalpur, which Indian armed forces destroyed during Operation Sindoor in May last year, intelligence officials have confirmed.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that while activity at the facility known as Markaz Subhanallah has resumed, the rules this time around are different.

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“Jaish has been deliberately asked to maintain a very low strength at the facility. Further, the top leaders of the JeM have been asked to completely avoid the facility for some more time. This decision has been taken due to security concerns,” the official said.

Currently, the facility is more symbolic in nature and its restoration over the last 15 months was done more to send a message to the potential recruits so that they could join the outfit.

“The Pakistani authorities have stepped up security multi-fold. Instructions have been handed out to maintain a low-key approach and not use the facility too much. Unlike in the past, there would not be any big events in the near future,” another official said.

More importantly, the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) does not want the trained cadre to keep frequenting the Jaish headquarters, the official added.

“During Operation Sindoor, the Jaish suffered significant losses beyond the damage to its infrastructure. A large number of trained cadres were present at the facility when Indian armed forces carried out the strike. The loss of personnel, particularly trained cadres, dealt a major blow to the terror outfit,” the official added.

Another official said the ISI is aware that damaged infrastructure and facilities can be rebuilt. Replenishing trained cadres, however, is far more difficult, as preparing recruits for combat can take months and, in some cases, years.

The top leadership has therefore been instructed to ensure the safety of its cadres and prevent their exposure to potential strikes similar to those during Operation Sindoor. The Indian armed forces launched the operation following the Pahalgam terror attack.

Officials said the ISI has significantly reworked its strategy for conducting terror operations. The focus is no longer limited to protecting the top leadership, with the agency now placing greater emphasis on safeguarding its cadres at every level.

The Pakistani spy agency has been planning to launch a large-scale operation led by the Jaish, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen in Jammu and Kashmir.

It has kept operatives of all these groups together and wants the operation to be carried out together rather than individually.

All these terror groups have been instructed to immediately move the trained terrorists to the launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) rather than keep them at facilities, which are potential targets.

Officials also say that since the ISI is planning this major operation, it has sent out similar instructions to the remaining terror groups as well. These terrorists are battle-hardened, and the ISI would rather let them die on the battlefield in Jammu and Kashmir rather than in their own country, officials say.

Further, losing cadres the way they did during Operation Sindoor does not send out a positive message to potential recruits. Since the operation, recruitment has been hard, especially for the JeM.

If the cadres carry out a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir and in the process lose their lives, then it can be used as a major recruitment tool. Such persons are termed as martyrs who died for the cause of Islam, and this is a major draw when it comes to recruitment activity, an official said.