Islamabad: Ahead of the upcoming Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plenary, Pakistan has added Jaish-e-Mohammed chief and UN-designated terrorist Masood Azhar to the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Red Book of most-wanted terrorists and announced a reward of Rs 70 lakh for information leading to his capture.
The FATF plenary is scheduled to be held in October, and Pakistan’s move is being viewed as a symbolic step aimed at demonstrating that Islamabad is taking action against terrorism and terror financing.
However, the move comes against the backdrop of long-standing concerns over Pakistan’s record on tackling terror groups operating from its soil. The country is notorious for providing a haven to terrorists.
Links between terror groups and Pakistan’s military have also been an open secret, raising questions over the seriousness of Islamabad’s efforts to dismantle these networks.
Notably, in July 2025, Azhar was reportedly spotted in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir’s Gilgit-Baltistan region, more than 1,000 km from his Bahawalpur stronghold. The reported sighting came despite Pakistan’s earlier claims that Azhar had gone missing from the country and was believed to be hiding in neighbouring Afghanistan.
The Taliban regime has also rejected Pakistan's repeated claims that Azhar is operating from Afghanistan.
The latest bounty is also not the first time Pakistan has offered a reward for information leading to Azhar’s capture. In 2021, the FIA had announced a Rs 50 lakh reward for information that could help apprehend the Jaish-e-Mohammed chief.
The latest FIA Red Book also includes 19 other terrorists accused of assisting the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. The list includes individuals accused of providing financial assistance to the attackers and helping operate the boats used by the terrorists to reach Mumbai.
Meanwhile, according to an ABP News report citing sources in Indian intelligence agencies, technical analysis conducted over the past six months suggests that Azhar may actually be hiding in Nawabshah city in Pakistan’s Sindh province.
