JOIN USJeM has many offices in Pakistan
The Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) was banned in Pakistan in 2002, but it managed to operate several offices across prominent cities, including Karachi, Rawalpindi and Lahore, without facing any problems over the years.
JeM’s offices near the Pakistan Army’s headquarters in Rawalpindi and Defence Housing Area in Lahore indicate its proximity to military establishment of Pakistan.
Some of the offices – mostly run by its front organisation Al Rehmat Trust – have been raided and sealed by the Pakistan government in the wake of pressure from New Delhi following terror attack in Pathankot.
New Delhi is now assessing whether the actions taken by Islamabad has actual bearing on the functioning of the terrorist organisation, which India holds responsible for the Pathankot terror strike.
Interestingly, Pakistan has not officially confirmed the detention of JeM chief Masood Azhar though reports to this effect were in the public domain. However, Azhar has claimed that he has not been arrested.
The JeM’s Lahore office is in the posh Defence Housing Area under Al-Rahmat Trust while its Rawalpindi office is in the third floor of al Fatah Plaza.
In Muzaffarabad, it has its office in Nelam Road, while in Balakot, it is in Besyan Chouk. In North-West Frontier Province, its office is in Rehana Road. The US had proscribed JeM in October 2001 and banned in Pakistan the next year. After it was banned in Pakistan in 2002, the JeM began using Al Rehmat Trust as a front for its operations.