Lashkar-e-Tayiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) are operating active women's wings inside Pakistan, but according to Indian intelligence agencies, these outfits have largely failed to deliver as combat forces — pivoting instead into potent recruitment and radicalisation machines, officials said on 6 June.

Structure of the Women's Wings

Jaish-e-Mohammad runs its women's wing under the banner of Jamaat-ul-Muminaat (JuM), a unit whose formation was reportedly accelerated after JeM suffered severe operational losses during Operation Sindoor. Lashkar-e-Tayiba, by contrast, maintains two distinct women's wings: Dukhtaran-e-Toiba (DeT), which focuses on combat training, and Taiyabbat, which functions as a social, ideological, and political mobilisation unit.

At the time these wings were established, Masood Azhar and Hafiz Saeed had publicly stated that they intended to groom women as suicide bombers for eventual deployment in Jammu and Kashmir, according to officials tracking the outfits.

Why the Combat Track Has Stalled

Intelligence assessments indicate that the combat ambitions of these wings have not materialised as planned. Many women have reportedly been reluctant to join as fighters or suicide bombers. An Intelligence Bureau official noted that both LeT and JeM are still absorbing the losses inflicted during Operation Sindoor, which has shifted the primary organisational focus toward rebuilding the men's wings rather than advancing the women's combat track.

'The women's outfits may not have taken off as the leadership or the ISI would have expected,' the official said, while cautioning that this should not breed complacency.

Recruitment and Radicalisation: Where They Thrive

Despite combat shortfalls, intelligence officials say these women's wings are proving highly effective at recruitment and online radicalisation. Members have been actively spreading radical messaging across social media platforms, targeting youth in Pakistan and, critically, reaching out to individuals in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Taiyabbat wing in particular has been instructed to intensify recruitment efforts in Jammu and Kashmir, according to officials. The ISI reportedly wants large-scale recruitment to build a fresh network of over-ground workers (OGWs) and foot soldiers — a reset driven by the fact that a significant number of existing OGWs have either been arrested or placed under police surveillance.

Officials note that the recruitment tactics employed by women operatives differ markedly from those used by male wing members. Rather than overt, hardcore radicalisation, they build narratives around alleged atrocities in Kashmir. The name of slain Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani is reportedly invoked frequently during recruitment drives, with operatives projecting him as a martyr wronged by Indian security forces. Officials acknowledge that Wani commanded a significant following during his lifetime and that his killing triggered a prolonged wave of violence in the Valley — emotions that recruiters are now attempting to weaponise.

The ISI's Broader Reset Strategy

Officials say the ISI has recalibrated its expectations. Raising a large combat force through women's wings is no longer the primary objective; instead, the agency is reportedly directing these wings to concentrate on radicalisation and mass recruitment, while the men's wings are rebuilt to operational strength. The JuM wing of Jaish-e-Mohammad has a narrower Kashmir focus but is engaged in both offline and online radicalisation, and JeM is reportedly attempting to rebuild its cadre using Pakistani nationals who would subsequently be launched into Jammu and Kashmir.

As Indian agencies continue scanning social media for activity linked to these wings, officials warn that the recruitment threat — though less visible than a direct attack — carries significant long-term security implications.