Pakistan puts Pak Rs 70 lakh bounty on UN terrorist Masood Azhar; move draws skepticism in Delhi - WION

**Pakistan Raises Bounty on Jaish‑e‑Mohammed Chief Masood Azhar to Rs 7 million** *New Delhi, 14 September 2026* – The Pakistani interior ministry announced on Wednesday that a reward of Rs 7 million (approximately $84,000) is being offered for information leading to the arrest or neutralisation of Masood Azhar, the founder and chief of the militant outfit Jaish‑e‑Mohammed (JeM). The designation, which aligns with the United Nations Security Council’s 2019 listing of Azhar as a global terrorist, comes just weeks before Pakistan’s next review by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the inter‑governmental body that monitors anti‑money‑laundering and counter‑terrorism financing standards. Pakistani officials said the bounty reflects “the state’s resolve to curb terrorism financing and to demonstrate compliance with FATF recommendations.”

The move has been met with skepticism in New Delhi. India’s Ministry of External Affairs issued a statement urging “transparent and verifiable action” from Islamabad, noting that a mere cash incentive does not address the broader network that enables JeM’s operations. Indian officials also highlighted recent cross‑border attacks attributed to JeM, warning that symbolic gestures may not suffice to curb the group’s threat to regional security. Meanwhile, the Afghan foreign ministry rejected Pakistan’s claim that Azhar is hiding in Kabul, insisting that the JeM founder is not present in Afghanistan and urging Islamabad to focus on genuine counter‑terrorism cooperation.

Analysts view the bounty as a strategic ploy by Pakistan to appease FATF reviewers, who have previously warned of possible grey‑listing for insufficient action against terrorist financing. While the reward may generate limited intelligence leads, experts caution that sustainable progress will require dismantling JeM’s financial channels, curbing its recruitment pipelines, and enhancing cross‑border law‑enforcement coordination. The upcoming FATF assessment will scrutinise whether Pakistan’s latest initiative translates into concrete results or remains a largely symbolic gesture.