Pakistan names Jaish chief Masood Azhar among most wanted terrorists, hikes bounty to PKR 70 lakh ahead of FATF review | World News - Hindustan Times

**Pakistan Raises Bounty on Jaish‑e‑Mohammed Leader Masood Azhar Ahead of FATF Review**

Islamabad has placed Jaish‑e‑Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar on its list of “most‑wanted terrorists” and raised the reward for information leading to his capture to **PKR 70 lakh (≈ US$ 350,000)**. The move comes just weeks before Pakistan’s scheduled review by the **Financial Action Task Force (FATF)**, the global body that monitors countries’ anti‑terror‑financing and money‑laundering regimes. The increased bounty is intended to demonstrate Pakistan’s “zero‑tolerance” stance toward individuals deemed a threat to national security and to address international pressure that the country is not doing enough to curb extremist networks.

Masood Azhar, a Pakistani cleric who founded JeM in 2000 after returning from Afghanistan, has been sanctioned by the United Nations, the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union for his alleged role in a series of attacks, including the 2001 Indian Parliament assault and the 2019 Pulwama bombing that killed 40 Indian security personnel. Previously, the Pakistani government offered a **PKR 7 million** reward for information on Azhar; the new figure marks a ten‑fold increase, signaling a sharper domestic crackdown and an effort to reassure FATF evaluators that Islamabad is actively pursuing high‑profile terror financiers.

The bounty hike has sparked diplomatic friction with neighbouring Afghanistan. Kabul’s foreign ministry dismissed Pakistan’s claim that Azhar is hiding on Afghan soil, stating that the JeM founder “is not present in Afghanistan.” The disagreement underscores the broader regional distrust surrounding cross‑border militant sanctuaries. International observers, including the United States and the European Union, have welcomed Pakistan’s step but warned that substantive action against JeM’s network will be crucial for the country to retain its FATF “gray‑list” status and avoid further economic sanctions.