The Pakistan Army is drawing closer to Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), which has been responsible for several attacks against India, a commander of the terrorist group said recently.In a speech that went viral on social media, Masood Ilyas Kashmiri also spoke about Pakistani soldiers attending the funeral of those killed in the Indian missile strikes on Jaish-e-Mohammad’s headquarters on May 7.“An order was issued from the GHQ (Headquarter of the Pakistan army in Rawalpindi) that these martyrs should be given the last salute and that Corp Commander should attend their funeral. The air force will guard their funerals and the army men, in their uniforms, will salute them,” Kashmiri said in his speech in Urdu.“After the patience, courage and determination of 25 years, we have been able to bring the (Pakistani) State, army, navy and airforce on the path of Jihad. The martyrs belong to Jaish-e-Mohammad and the revenge was taken by the Pakistan air force,” he said.The speech indicates that 25 years after it was set up by Masood Azhar, the Jaish has finally been accepted by the Pakistan army, which had maintained a distance from it in the past.Jaish and the Pakistan ArmyUnlike the older Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which always had a cordial relationship with the army, the Jaish, formed in 2000, has been involved in attacks against the Pakistan troops as well.Whatever goodwill Jaish had with the Pakistani army was lost when it was alleged that the outfit was behind two assasination attempts on the Pakistan President and army chief General Parvez Musharaff. Its hand in the 2007 episode in Islamabad’s Lal Masjid, which saw a deadly battle between the Pakistani army and homegrown militants, further isolated the Jaish.Story continues below this adUnlike the Lashkar, which belongs to the Salafi thought of Islam, the Jaish follows the Deobandi School. The Salafi thought forbids anyone from waging war against a Muslim ruler even if he is not a “true” Muslim. That is why the Lashkar didn’t go against the Pakistan army and the State even when the latter joined America’s war on terror in Afghanistan. The Lashkar also stayed away from Pakistan’s domestic politics and focussed solely on Kashmir.In comparison, the Deoband school doesn’t have such a distinction. The Jaish shares an umbilical cord with the Taliban, both of which belong to the Deobandi school of thought. After Pakistan aligned with the United States following the changed global scenario post 9/11, the Jaish trained its guns on the Pakistani State as well.The change, and what it means for IndiaAs is evident from Kashmiri’s speech, the Jaish now seems to be getting the backing of the Pakistan army. This could have serious ramifications in Jammu and Kashmir especailly, as the Jaish is known to carry out big suicide attacks, including the 2019 Pulwama attack, the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2002 J&K Assembly attack, and the 2016 Pathankot attack.The Jaish has also made its presence felt in the dense forests of Jammu region, from Kathua to Kishtwar, in the disguise of ‘People Against Fascist Forces’ (PAFF), which the police say is a Jaish shadow group.Story continues below this adA brief history of Jaish-e-Mohammad and Masood AzharJaish-e-Mohammad, headquartered in Bahawalpur in Pakistan, was set up in April 2000 by Masood Azhar, barely three months after he was released in exchange for the passengers of the hijacked Indian airlines plane IC-814.Azhar’s designs against India, however, preceded the formation of Jaish. He had been the general secretary of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, a military wing of Jamiat-e-Ulama Islam (JUI), a Sunni Muslim organisation that follows the Deoband school of thought. In 1994, Harkat (which was earlier named as Harkat-ul-Ansaar) was on the brink of a split in the Kashmir valley. The job to bring the two factions closer was given to Azhar.Azhar flew to India from Dhaka, posing as a Gujarat-born Portuguese businessman, Wali Adam Issa. He travelled to Srinagat to meet Harkat commanders but was arrested in 1995 along with Harket chief Sajad Afghani.While the Harkat made several attempts to get Azhar out of jail — including the kidnapping of five Western backpackers in Pahalgam by an unknown militant group called Al Faran — he was finally released, together with British national Omar Sheikh and Mushtaq Ahmad Zargar, after the IC-814 hijack.Story continues below this adAfter his release, Azhar founded the Jaish owing to differences with Maulan Khalil-ur-Rehman of the JUI.