Pakistan keeps Rs 7 million reward on Masood Azhar before FATF meet
Pakistan has kept a reward of Rs 7 million for information leading to the arrest of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, who remains listed in the Federal Investigation Agency's Red Book of most-wanted terrorists, officials said on Monday.
Azhar's name has also been included in the FIA's 2026 Red Book, with officials saying the latest development comes ahead of the Financial Action Task Force's next plenary in Paris from October 26 to 30. Pakistan was on the FATF's increased monitoring list from 2018 to 2022.
Azhar, the founder and chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed, is wanted in India in connection with several terror cases, including the 2001 attack on Parliament. He was also among the 20 fugitives India sought from Pakistan, a demand it renewed after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks carried out by 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists in which 166 people were killed.
Indian authorities have also linked Jaish-e-Mohammed to later attacks, including the 2016 Pathankot airbase attack and the 2019 Pulwama bombing.
According to information provided by the agency, Azhar's name was first included in the FIA's Red Book of most-wanted terrorists in 2021. Officials said it continues to appear in the 2026 edition as well.
In the list, he has been identified as the head of Jaish-e-Mohammad, with December 31, 2021 given as the date of entry. The entry was made at the request of the Home Department, Punjab.
Azhar is placed 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 details show that he is wanted in three cases: FIR-17/20 dated December 3, 2020, under sections 11-EE(4), 11-F(2), 11-W and 11-OOO of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, registered at the Counter Terrorism Department police station in Gujranwala; FIR-8/20 dated March 9, 2020, under section 11-EE(4) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, registered at the CTD police station in Multan; and FIR-4/21 dated March 29, 2021, under sections 11-H(3), 11-I, 11-J(2) and 11-N of the Anti-Terrorism Act, registered at the CTD police station in Lahore.
"The Federal/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.
India has for years accused Pakistan of sheltering Azhar, while Pakistan has maintained that he fled to Afghanistan, a claim rejected by Afghanistan's Taliban government.
The FATF plenary meetings usually include discussions and decisions on jurisdictions' efforts to address shortcomings in tackling money laundering and terror financing, among other issues. Pakistan was placed under increased monitoring in 2018 and remained there until 2022, when it was removed after completing commitments under two FATF action plans agreed in 2018 and 2021.
In sum, Pakistan has continued to keep Masood Azhar in the FIA's most-wanted Red Book, with a Rs 7 million reward still in place, while his listing remains in focus ahead of the next FATF plenary.
