In a major counterterror development, investigators have revealed that a woman doctor from Lucknow, Dr. Shaheen Shahid was allegedly tasked by the Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) to establish its women’s wing, Jamaat-ul-Mominaat, in India. The revelation comes amid an expanding probe into the 2,900 kg explosives haul in Faridabad and the car blast near Delhi’s Red Fort that killed several people earlier this week.
According to Delhi Police and intelligence sources, Dr. Shaheen Shahid was handed the responsibility of leading the India operations of Jamaat-ul-Mominaat, which is headed in Pakistan by Sadia Azhar, sister of JeM founder Masood Azhar.
Officials confirmed that Sadia Azhar’s husband, Yusuf Azhar, one of the key conspirators in the 1999 Kandahar hijacking, was killed during Operation Sindoor, India’s cross-border strike in Pakistan’s Balochistan region on 7 May 2025.
Lucknow Doctor’s Arrest and Terror Links
Dr. Shaheen, a resident of Lal Bagh, Lucknow, was arrested after the Delhi Police and NIA traced her links to JeM’s Faridabad terror module, which had stockpiled explosives and weapons in the National Capital Region.
Officials said she was employed with Al-Falah University in Haryana and was in close contact with Dr. Muzammil Ganaie alias Musaib, a Pulwama native who also worked as a doctor at the same university. Muzammil’s arrest in early November led to the recovery of a massive cache of ammonium nitrate, electronic timers, and weapons from his rented accommodations in Faridabad.
Investigators revealed that an assault rifle, a pistol, and ammunition were found in a Maruti Suzuki Swift (registration HR 51) registered in Dr. Shaheen’s name. The vehicle was recovered during follow-up searches in connection with the Faridabad explosives case.
Dr. Muzammil, already wanted by the Jammu and Kashmir Police for displaying posters supporting JeM in Srinagar, reportedly disclosed during interrogation that both he and Dr. Shaheen were part of a “white-collar terror network” that used professional cover and academic affiliations to further JeM’s recruitment and logistical operations in India.
Women’s Wing of JeM: Jamaat-ul-Mominaat
Intelligence inputs suggest that Jamaat-ul-Mominaat was formally announced by Jaish in October 2025, shortly after JeM suffered heavy losses during India’s Operation Sindoor. The women’s wing was conceived as part of JeM’s effort to revive its operational footprint and expand recruitment among educated women across South Asia.
The new unit began its recruitment drive on October 8 from JeM’s headquarters, Markaz Usman-o-Ali in Bahawalpur, Pakistan. Led by Sadia Azhar, the outfit has reportedly been enlisting the wives of JeM commanders and financially vulnerable female students from Bahawalpur, Karachi, Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Haripur, and Mansehra.
According to sources, Dr. Shaheen was in direct contact with operatives coordinating from Pakistan and had begun setting up an Indian cell of the group focused on fund transfers, safehouses, and logistics.
Faridabad–Delhi Connection
The Delhi Police’s Special Cell and NIA have traced multiple links between the Faridabad explosives module and the November 10 car blast near Red Fort.
Investigations suggest that material recovered from Muzammil’s rented rooms in Faridabad including 350 kg of ammonium nitrate, 20 electronic timers, detonators, and circuit devices, matches the composition of explosives used in the Red Fort blast.
The Swift car registered in Dr. Shaheen’s name is suspected to have been part of the same logistics chain that transported weapons and materials through Faridabad, Badarpur, and Old Delhi.
Expanding Investigation
The joint investigation involving the NIA, Delhi Police Special Cell, NSG, and intelligence agencies is now examining whether the JeM module had planned multiple coordinated attacks using the recovered explosives. Officials said Dr. Shaheen’s digital devices, communication logs, and university connections are being forensically examined to trace the full extent of her involvement.
Sources indicate that the case underscores a new strategy by Pakistan-backed terror outfits, recruiting educated professionals, particularly women, to run covert logistical and financial operations within India under legitimate cover.
The NIA is expected to file supplementary charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) following the recovery of fresh evidence linking the Lucknow-based doctor to JeM’s Jamaat-ul-Mominaat network and the Faridabad–Red Fort terror plot.
(Source: NDTV)
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