Addressing a weekly briefing, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Pakistan’s attempts to “hoodwink” people were nothing new and that similar announcements had been made in the past.
“Such gimmicks and attempts at hoodwinking people by Pakistan are nothing new. We have seen similar gimmicks in the past as well," he said.
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 rather than make announcements that are ultimately of no consequence,” Jaiswal said.
Pakistan announces reward on Azhar
On Monday, Pakistan announced a PKR 70 lakh reward for information leading to the arrest of Masood Azhar, who continues to feature in the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) “Red Book” of most-wanted terrorists, according to a PTI report, citing officials.
Azhar, the founder and chief of JeM, is wanted in India in connection with several terror cases, including the 2001 Parliament attack. He was also among the 20 fugitives whose extradition India had sought from Pakistan, a demand it renewed following the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, in which 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists killed 166 people.
Pakistan announces reward on Azhar
On Monday, Pakistan announced a PKR 70 lakh reward for information leading to the arrest of Masood Azhar, who continues to feature in the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) “Red Book” of most-wanted terrorists, according to a PTI report, citing officials.
Azhar, the founder and chief of JeM, is wanted in India in connection with several terror cases, including the 2001 Parliament attack. He was also among the 20 fugitives whose extradition India had sought from Pakistan, a demand it renewed following the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, in which 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists killed 166 people.
Indian authorities have also linked JeM to subsequent attacks, including the 2016 Pathankot airbase attack and the 2019 Pulwama bombing.
India has for years accused Pakistan of sheltering Azhar, while Islamabad has maintained that he fled to Afghanistan. The claim has been rejected by Afghanistan’s Taliban government.
Azhar was first included in the FIA’s Red Book of most-wanted terrorists in 2021, according to information provided by the agency. Officials said his name also features in the FIA’s 2026 Red Book.
He is listed as the head of Jaish-e-Mohammad, with December 31, 2021, given as the date of entry. The listing was made at the request of the Home Department, Punjab.
Azhar is ranked at serial number 1480 in the list, which contains 1,804 names of most-wanted terrorists. The entry describes him as healthy, heavily built and of normal medium height.
The FIA listing says Azhar is wanted in three cases registered under Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, in Gujranwala, Multan and Lahore.
Provincial Govt. of Pakistan is offering a reward of up to Rs. 7,000,000/- for information leading directly to the apprehension or conviction of Maulana Masood Azhar Maulana S/o Khuda Baksh,” the entry says.
FATF scrutiny looms
The development comes ahead of the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) next plenary, scheduled to be held in Paris from October 26 to 30.
FATF plenary meetings typically include discussions and decisions on jurisdictions’ efforts to address deficiencies in combating money laundering and terrorist financing.
Pakistan was placed on the FATF’s increased monitoring, commonly known as the “grey list”, in 2018 and remained there until 2022.
It was removed after completing commitments under two FATF action plans agreed in 2018 and 2021, covering measures including strengthening its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regime and improving the implementation of targeted financial sanctions.