Pakistan hikes Masood Azhar bounty to Rs 70 lakh ahead of FATF meet in October
Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency has increased the bounty on Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar by PKR 20 lakh to PKR 70 lakh in its latest list of most-wanted terrorists, weeks before the Financial Action Task Force plenary in October.
The FIA had announced a reward of PKR 50 lakh for information leading to Azhar’s arrest in 2021. Pakistan has since maintained that he is no longer in the country and is hiding in Afghanistan.
Indian intelligence agencies, however, believe Azhar is in Nawabshah in Pakistan’s Sindh province. The assessment is based on technical analysis conducted over the past six months, sources said.
Sources described Azhar’s inclusion in the FIA’s 2026 Red Book and the higher bounty as an attempt by Pakistan to demonstrate action against terror networks ahead of the FATF meeting and avoid renewed scrutiny.
Azhar is wanted in India in connection with several attacks, including the February 2019 Pulwama bombing in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed.DETAILS OF 2 MUMBAI ATTACK ACCUSED REMOVED
The latest Red Book also names 19 people linked to the November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks for allegedly helping finance the operation or arranging boats used by the attackers.
Seventeen are listed with their photographs and details of their alleged roles. However, the photographs, Lashkar-e-Taiba affiliations and operational details of two others have been removed, leaving only their names, sources said.
One of them, Muhammad Khan of Turbat, was identified in the 2021 edition as an LeT operative who provided the Al-Hussaini, one of the boats allegedly used to transport the attackers to Mumbai.
The second, Abdul Rehman of Bahawalnagar, was also listed with his photograph and alleged LeT affiliation in 2021. Those details do not appear in the latest edition.
The FIA maintains that the suspects linked to the Mumbai attacks have been absconding for 18 years. Indian intelligence sources, however, claim that they remain in Pakistan and described their inclusion in the list as an eyewash.BOAT OPERATORS, FINANCIERS ON LIST
The Red Book identifies 11 alleged LeT members accused of facilitating the attackers’ journey aboard the Al-Hussaini and Al-Fauz.
They include Muhammad Amjad Khan, Shahid Gafoor, Mohammad Usman, Ateeq-ur-Rehman, Riaz Ahmad, Muhammad Mushtaq, Muhammad Naeem, Abdul Shakoor, Muhammad Sabir Salfi, Muhammad Usman and Shakeel Ahmed.
Six others have been accused of financing the operation. Among them is Muhammad Iftikhar Ali, who allegedly spent PKR 70,000 to establish Voice over Internet Protocol connections between the attackers and their handlers.
The list also names Mohammad Zia, Mohammad Abbas Nasir, Javed Iqbal, Mukhtar Ahmad and Ahmed Saeed, who allegedly provided amounts ranging from PKR 80,000 to PKR 21 lakh for the operation.
The FIA’s Red Book now contains 1,804 names, up from 1,330 in 2021, an increase of about 35 per cent in five years.JEM HEADQUARTERS HIT IN OPERATION SINDOOR
Azhar’s organisation was also targeted during India’s strikes under Operation Sindoor. The Indian armed forces said Markaz Subhanallah in Bahawalpur, around 100 km inside Pakistan, was destroyed in the operation.
The facility, operational since 2015, served as JeM’s main centre for training and indoctrination as well as its operational headquarters, according to the armed forces.
It was also linked to the planning of the Pulwama attack and housed members of Azhar’s family and other senior JeM figures, including Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar and Maulana Ammar.
Indian authorities have said Azhar delivered speeches from the facility, promoted anti-India violence and urged young people to join the organisation.- EndsPublished By: Sonali VermaPublished On: Sep 14, 2026 15:57 IST
