Pakistan has listed Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as a fugitive in its latest Red Book of most-wanted terrorists and increased the reward for information leading to his arrest to PKR 70 lakh, news agency ANI reported, citing sources.
The development comes ahead of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plenary scheduled for October, when Pakistan is expected to face scrutiny over its efforts to combat terrorism financing and other financial crimes.
Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has increased the bounty on Azhar by PKR 20 lakh. The agency had announced a PKR 50 lakh reward for information leading to his capture in 2021.
Sources cited by ANI said the latest move is intended to demonstrate Pakistan’s action against terrorism ahead of the FATF review and bolster its case against any renewed scrutiny by the global financial watchdog.
Pakistan had claimed in 2021 that Azhar was no longer in the country and had fled to Afghanistan. The government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has since maintained that the JeM founder is not present on Pakistani soil.
Five years after announcing the original bounty, the FIA has now raised the reward to PKR 70 lakh and included Azhar in its latest Red Book of wanted terrorists.
The move, however, has drawn scepticism, with critics alleging that designating Azhar as a fugitive is an attempt to deflect international scrutiny and conceal the presence of terrorist organisations operating from Pakistani territory.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is also scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in October.
Masood Azhar founded Jaish-e-Mohammed, an organisation blamed for several major terror attacks in India, including the 2001 Parliament attack. The group has been designated as a terrorist organisation by the United Nations and several countries.
