New Mosque Complexes Along PoK-Pakistan Routes Raise Terror Logistics Concerns

Indian agencies have flagged a spate of mosque construction and expansion along key road corridors linking Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) with Pakistan, with officials suspecting that some of the sites could be used to support terror logistics and movement.

The developments are also taking place alongside military infrastructure expansion in the region, News18 reported in an exclusive report, citing officials familiar with the intelligence inputs.

According to the report, agencies have identified more than a dozen locations along major arterial roads connecting PoK to areas near the Indian border where new mosques are being built or existing complexes expanded.

Officials suspect that some of these sites could serve purposes beyond religious activity, drawing parallels with the alleged use of religious complexes by terror outfits in the past. During Operation Sindoor, India struck a Markaz in Muridke, which New Delhi has identified as the headquarters of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Key Road Corridors

The road network under scrutiny stretches across northern and southern PoK. In the north, the Islamabad-Murree-Kohala-Muzaffarabad road serves as a key gateway into the region.

Another important route is the Muzaffarabad-Mansehra-Abbottabad road, which connects PoK with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and provides access to Pakistan's wider road network.

The Muzaffarabad-Chakothi road, meanwhile, runs close to the Line of Control (LoC) and is considered strategically sensitive.

In southern PoK, the Rawalakot-Azad Pattan, Kotli-Kahuta, Mirpur-Dina and Bhimber-Gujrat roads connect the region with Rawalpindi, Jhelum and Gujrat districts.

Why The Construction Has Raised Concern

Officials suspect that some of the newly developed or expanded complexes could be used as smaller sub-headquarters for terror outfits, rather than concentrating operations at a single large Markaz.

Such a network, according to their assessment, could allow cadres, logistics and material to be distributed across multiple locations instead of being concentrated at a few identifiable facilities.

Officials believe that the dispersal of such sites along major roads could make them more difficult to target while facilitating the movement of personnel and supplies between locations. Their proximity to military infrastructure has added to the concerns, they said.

Operation Sindoor Context

India has previously targeted what it described as terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK. During Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, Indian forces struck nine such sites.

The Ministry of Defence said that on May 7, 2025, Indian forces carried out strikes against nine locations linked to terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK. The ministry described the operation as focused, measured and non-escalatory.

The targets included sites in Bahawalpur and Muridke, which India has linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), respectively. The Muridke complex was identified by India as the headquarters of the LeT.