Pakistan has listed Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as a fugitive in its latest Red Book of most-wanted terrorists and increased the bounty for information leading to his capture to PKR 70 lakh, according to reports citing sources in the country’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
The move comes ahead of a fresh review of Pakistan’s counterterrorism and terror-financing measures by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Pakistan had remained under FATF’s increased-monitoring framework from 2018 until 2022, before being removed from the grey list after addressing a series of deficiencies related to money laundering and terrorist financing.
Azhar, the founder and chief of the UN-designated terrorist organisation JeM, has long been wanted by India in connection with several major terror cases, including the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the 2016 Pathankot attack and the 2019 Pulwama bombing.
Pakistan's claims over Azhar's whereabouts
The development also comes days after the Taliban administration in Afghanistan rejected repeated Pakistani claims that Azhar was operating from Afghan territory.
A senior Afghan Foreign Ministry official said Azhar was not in Afghanistan, while Kabul reiterated that Afghan territory would not be allowed to be used for attacks against other countries.
Pakistan has previously maintained that Azhar fled to Afghanistan, particularly amid international scrutiny over its handling of banned militant organisations and their leadership. The Taliban's denial has added to questions over the whereabouts of the JeM chief.
The timing of the Pakistani action is significant as the country faces continued international scrutiny over measures against terrorist financing. FATF standards require countries to establish effective systems to identify, investigate and disrupt terrorist financing and to impose targeted financial sanctions against designated individuals and entities.
Pakistan's latest action places Azhar in its official list of most-wanted terrorists and raises the financial incentive for information leading to his capture. However, the listing itself does not establish that Pakistani authorities have located or detained him.
Azhar was also convicted in absentia in Pakistan in 2021, according to earlier reports.
