Islamabad, July 3 : Leading terror groups like Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) operating within and out of Pakistan have changed their tactics and are now using digital space for recruiting terrorists in their organisations, a report has detailed.

For years, terrorists in Pakistan relied heavily on personal contact, ideological grooming in madrassas and local terrorist facilitators for recruiting terrorists in certain areas. Terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and the TTP used madrassa-related spaces, printed propaganda, and trusted intermediaries to find and recruit youths. Physically rooted in communities, particularly in the tribal belt, south Punjab, Karachi, and parts of Balochistan, they could influence people through kinship relations, religious authority, and intimidation, according to a report in PJ Media.

"The biggest change has been the move toward digital recruitment. NACTA research says social media has lowered the entry barrier into terrorism, and that terrorist groups now use social media platforms to run propaganda, raise funds, recruit people, and train supporters online," Uzay Bulut, Turkey-born journalist formerly based in Ankara, wrote in a report in PJ Media.

"A 2025 NACTA study describes digital media as transforming radicalisation by using X, YouTube, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Telegram to create echo chambers and spread targeted content. This is important because recruitment is now less dependent on a recruiter physically meeting a recruit. Instead, the recruit can be identified, groomed, and activated through repeated online exposure," the author added.

Earlier, terrorist groups used physical camps, Islamic clerics, and direct indoctrination. However, terrorist organisations now employ those tactics along with online training, encrypted communications, and micro-cells that are harder to penetrate. The same groups that once relied on visible networks now use small, compartmentalised teams and social media-based outreach. Terrorist groups increasingly recruit individuals who can help with propaganda, digital finance, logistics and low-visibility operations and not just frontline combat, according to the report in PJ Media.

In April, a report claimed that Pakistan continues to operate as a host and an operational hub for several terror networks with regional and global networks. These groups include Al Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and sectarian as well as domestic extremist factions.

"The latest Global Terrorism Index 2026 has placed Pakistan at the top of the global rankings, underscoring a reality that has been repeatedly flagged by international agencies over decades. This assessment does not stand in isolation. A report released by the United States Congressional Research Service on March 25, 2026, has once again identified Pakistan as a base of operations for a wide array of terrorist organisations, some of which have remained active since the 1980s. The findings reinforce a long-standing concern: Pakistan continues to function as both a host and an operational hub for multiple militant networks with regional and global reach," stated a report in UK-based daily Asian Lite.

Majority of the groups mentioned in the report have been designated as Foreign Terrorist Organisations under the US law. Pakistan continues to remain at the centre of global terrorism discourse due to convergence of these networks, ideologies, and operational capabilities.

On March 6, a Pakistani national, identified as Asif Merchant, was found guilty in the US of planning to kill political figures, including senior government officials. The plot involved coordination with operatives and the recruitment of individuals believed to be capable of carrying out targeted killings, according to the US Department of Justice. Merchant's travel between Pakistan, Iran and the US, and his alleged connection to external actors, showcased the fluidity with which people related to extremist networks can operate in various nations, according to a report in Asian Lite.

In a separate case, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan (21) of Pakistani origin, pleaded guilty for trying to carry out an ISIS-inspired attack on a Jewish centre in New York City. According to the investigations, Khan had planned to carry out a mass shooting aimed to coincide with a significant date, aiming to maximise casualties, according to a report in Asian Lite.

/IANS