On Tuesday, 15th September, the Indian government dismissed Pakistan’s decision to increase the reward for information leading to the arrest of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, calling it a “gimmick”. The Ministry of External Affairs said Pakistan should take real action against terror suspects instead of making announcements.
Responding to a question during the weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Pakistan’s move was not new. “Such gimmicks and hoodwinking by Pakistan is not new. We have seen such gimmicks in the past as well,” Jaiswal said.
“For a state sponsor of terror to make an announcement, a phoney announcement, we all know how hollow it is,” he added. Jaiswal further said, “They must take action and not make phoney announcements, which are of no consequence.”
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MEA Spox Randhir Jaiswal on Pakistan announcing/increasing Pak Rs 70 Lakh bounty on UN listed terrorist Masood Azhar pic.twitter.com/EgVa72XCYs
Pakistan claims it has raised the reward on Masood Azhar
According to reports citing intelligence sources, Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has included Azhar in its 2026 Red Book of high-profile, most-wanted terrorists. The FIA has increased the reward for information leading to his arrest by PKR 20 lakh, taking the total to PKR 70 lakh (around 24 lakh INR). A reward was first announced for Azhar in 2021.
The move comes ahead of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plenary scheduled for October. Pakistan was removed from the FATF grey list in October 2022 but continues to face pressure to show action against UN-designated terrorists.
Azhar was designated a global terrorist by the United Nations Security Council in May 2019 after China withdrew its long-standing technical hold. The US has separately announced a $10 million reward for information leading to his arrest.
Azhar’s whereabouts remain disputed. Pakistan has maintained since 2021 that he is not in the country and has claimed that he crossed into Afghanistan. India has rejected this claim.
During Operation Sindoor in May 2025, Indian forces destroyed a JeM facility at Markaz Subhanallah in Bahawalpur, Pakistan. Azhar later revealed that several members of his family and close associates were killed in the strike.
