India dismissed Pakistan’s latest move to offer a seven-million-rupee bounty for information leading to the arrest of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as nothing more than a “gimmick.” India has repeatedly accused Pakistan of not taking concrete action against terrorism, despite numerous such announcements.
Azhar remains a key figure in India’s list of most-wanted terrorists due to his involvement in major attacks like the 2001 Parliament strike, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and the 2019 Pulwama bombing. He is also listed in Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency’s “Red Book” of wanted terrorists.
India’s External Affairs Ministry spokesperson criticized Pakistan for making such announcements, calling them hollow and ineffective. Pakistan has long claimed that Azhar is operating from Afghanistan, but Afghan authorities have recently denied this, adding to the confusion.
Pakistan’s announcement comes as it faces growing pressure from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to strengthen its anti-terrorism efforts. The global watchdog is set to review Pakistan’s progress in combating terrorism and money laundering. Pakistan was previously on the FATF grey list due to its failure to effectively target terror financing and enforce sanctions against designated terrorists.
To exit the grey list, Pakistan took steps like banning groups like JeM and LeT and convicting their leaders, including Azhar in absentia. However, India claims Pakistan has backtracked on these commitments since exiting the grey list in 2022.
The ongoing efforts to locate Azhar remain a key point of focus for FATF reviewers, highlighting the international community’s skepticism about Pakistan’s progress in tackling terrorism.