Pakistan raises bounty on Masood Azhar
Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has released its 2026 list of most wanted terrorists, naming Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as a fugitive and raising the reward for information leading to his capture to PKR 70 lakh opening. The amount represents an increase from the earlier PKR 50 lakh bounty, which was first announced in 2021, according to multiple reports. An FIA wanted notice identifies Azhar as the head of JeM and describes him as "armed and extremely dangerous," listing three terrorism-related cases against him registered in Gujranwala, Multan and Lahore under Pakistan's Anti-Terrorism Act.
The move comes weeks before the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plenary scheduled for October, where Pakistan's counter-terror financing efforts will be reviewed. Sources cited by ANI said Pakistan's latest action is aimed at projecting steps against terrorism ahead of the meeting, as it seeks to avoid being placed back on the FATF's grey list. Pakistan was on the grey list between 2018 and 2022 for systemic deficiencies in anti-money laundering and countering terror financing, particularly related to JeM and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
India's response
India has dismissed Pakistan's announcement as a "gimmick" and a "phoney announcement" with no consequence. At a regular media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: "Such gimmicks and hoodwinking by Pakistan is nothing new. We have seen similar gimmicks in the past as well." He added: "For a state sponsor of terrorism to make such phoney announcements, we all know how hollow they are. Pakistan must take concrete action and not make phoney announcements, which are ultimately of no consequence."
Jaiswal's remarks reflect India's longstanding position that Pakistan shelters Azhar. India has accused Pakistan of harbouring the JeM founder for years, while Islamabad has maintained since 2021 that Azhar fled to Afghanistan. That claim has been rejected by India and, according to reports, by Afghanistan's Taliban government, which last week said Azhar is not in the country.
Azhar's whereabouts disputed
Despite Pakistan's assertion that Azhar is in Afghanistan, technical analysis by Indian intelligence agencies over the past six months indicates he is hiding in Nawabshah city in Pakistan's Sindh province, sources cited by ANI said. This assessment has led Indian analysts to view the FIA listing as a smokescreen. Defence expert Brigadier (Retd) Hemant Mahajan, quoted by ANI, said the announcement was "largely a smokescreen Pakistan is creating" to escape FATF scrutiny, and that Pakistan's claims could not be trusted unless followed by concrete steps, including shutting down terror camps, halting financial support to terror networkswing, and apprehending Azhar.
The FIA's 2026 Red Book also contains the names of 19 individuals linked to the 2008 Mumbai attacks. According to the list, 11 LeT terrorists are accused of facilitating the sea voyage of the attackers on the boats Al-Hussaini and Al-Fauz, including Muhammad Amjad Khan, Shahid Gafoor, and Mohammad Usman. Six others are listed for allegedly providing financial backing, with contributions ranging from PKR 70,000 to PKR 21 lakh. However, the photographs and LeT affiliations of two individuals—Muhammad Khan of Turbat and Abdul Rehman of Bahawalnagar—have been removed from the updated list, according to ANI. Sources said these two still appear by name but without their operational details.
The overall number of most wanted individuals in Pakistan's Red Book has grown from 1,330 in 2021 to 1,804 in the latest edition, an increase of roughly 35 per cent, as reported by multiple outlets.
Background
Azhar, 58, is the founder and chief of JeM, which he established after being released from an Indian jail in 1999 in exchange for passengers of hijacked Indian Airlines flight IC-814. He is wanted in India for several major attacks, including the 2001 Parliament strike, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the 2016 Pathankot airbase assault, and the 2019 Pulwama bombing. He was designated a global terrorist by the United Nations Security Council in May 2019, and the US has announced a $10 million reward for information leading to his capture.
Pakistan's renewed focus on Azhar comes as it faces continued review by the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG) on its efforts to arrest him, a condition of its exit from the FATF grey list in 2022, according to people tracking FATF's actions cited by The Hindu. The FIA's latest move has raised fresh questions about Pakistan's commitment to those efforts, with Indian security sources viewing the public identification of long-standing terror suspects as an attempt to demonstrate action.