New Delhi on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, rejected Pakistan’s latest announcement of a seven‑million‑rupee reward for information on Jaish‑e‑Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, describing the move as a “gimmick” and urging Islamabad to take concrete action against terrorism.
Pakistan renews bounty on a wanted terrorist
Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) continues to list Masood Azhar in its “Red Book” of most‑wanted terrorists and has reiterated a cash reward for anyone who provides actionable intelligence leading to his capture. The bounty, announced again this week, amounts to seven million rupees, a figure that Pakistan has maintained despite international pressure to move beyond symbolic gestures.
Azhar, the founder of JeM, remains one of India’s most wanted individuals. He is implicated in a series of high‑profile attacks on Indian soil, including the 2001 Parliament siege, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the 2016 Pathankot airbase assault and the 2019 Pulwama bombing. India has repeatedly accused Pakistan of sheltering him, a charge Pakistan counters by claiming that Azhar fled to Afghanistan.
Afghanistan’s Taliban‑run government, however, has dismissed Pakistan’s claim, with a senior Afghan foreign ministry official stating last week that Azhar is not present in Afghanistan. The conflicting narratives have added to the diplomatic friction between New Delhi and Islamabad over the years.
India calls the announcement a hollow stunt
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal addressed the bounty announcement during his regular media briefing. He said, “Such gimmicks and hoodwinking by Pakistan is nothing new. We have seen similar gimmicks in the past as well.” Jaiswal added that a “state sponsor of terrorism” making “phoney announcements” is “hollow” and that Pakistan must undertake “concrete action” rather than rely on “phoney announcements.”
The Indian government’s response underscores a long‑standing frustration with what it perceives as Pakistan’s reliance on symbolic measures rather than substantive counter‑terrorism steps. New Delhi has repeatedly demanded that Islamabad arrest Azhar and dismantle the networks that support JeM and its sister organization, Lashkar‑e‑Taiba (LeT).
FATF review intensifies pressure on Pakistan
Pakistan’s renewed bounty comes as the country faces renewed scrutiny from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the Paris‑based global watchdog that monitors anti‑money‑laundering and counter‑terror‑financing regimes. FATF is scheduled to review Pakistan’s anti‑terrorism efforts at its upcoming plenary session.
Between 2018 and 2022, Pakistan was placed on FATF’s grey list due to systemic deficiencies in anti‑money‑laundering controls and a failure to curb terror financing, particularly to JeM and LeT. The watchdog highlighted weak implementation of financial sanctions on United Nations‑designated persons as a key shortcoming.
To exit the grey list, Pakistan was compelled to enact a series of reforms, including banning JeM and LeT and their front organizations, and convicting leaders of these groups. In 2021, a court convicted Masood Azhar in absentia, and the United Nations Security Council designated him as a global terrorist in May 2019.
After meeting the immediate conditions, Pakistan was allowed to leave the grey list in 2022 on the understanding that the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG) would continue to monitor its compliance on specific points. One of the ongoing concerns highlighted by APG, at FATF’s request, is Pakistan’s effort to arrest Azhar.
Analysts cited in the source material argue that once the immediate international spotlight faded, Pakistan backslid on several assurances it had made to FATF. The re‑announcement of the bounty, critics say, is an attempt to showcase a superficial response without delivering the substantive law‑enforcement action that FATF and India expect.
India’s dismissal of the bounty as a “gimmick” reflects a broader diplomatic narrative that Islamabad’s gestures are insufficient to address the underlying threat posed by Azhar and his network. The Indian foreign ministry’s emphasis on “concrete action” signals that New Delhi will continue to press Pakistan for tangible results, including the arrest or extradition of the JeM chief.
As the FATF plenary approaches, the international community will be watching closely to see whether Pakistan can demonstrate genuine progress on its anti‑terror financing commitments. The outcome could influence the country’s access to global financial systems and its broader diplomatic standing.
For now, the seven‑million‑rupee bounty remains a point of contention, with India rejecting it as an empty gesture and urging Pakistan to move beyond rhetoric toward decisive, enforceable measures against terrorism.
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