'Gimmicks, phoney announcement': India on Pakistan's move to raise bounty on Jaish chief Masood Azhar

Pakistan named Masood Azhar in its 2026 list of most-wanted terrorists and raised the reward for information leading to his capture to PKR 70 lakh.

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India on Tuesday called Pakistan’s move to raise the bounty for Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar a “gimmick” and a “phoney announcement”, urging Islamabad to take “concrete action” instead of making “hollow” announcements.

Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), in its 2026 list of most-wanted terrorists, named Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar. The reward for information leading to his capture was also increased from PKR 20 lakh to PKR 70 lakh.

India slams Pakistan's Jaish bounty

During a press briefing, ministry of external affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal called it “aankh mein dhool jhokne wali harkat” (an attempt to deceive).

“Such gimmicks and attempts at hoodwinking people by Pakistan are nothing new. We have seen similar gimmicks in the past as well," he said.

He added, “For a state sponsor of terrorism to make such phoney announcements, we all know how hollow they are. Pakistan must take concrete action rather than make announcements that are ultimately of no consequence.”

Pakistan lists Azhar among most-wanted terrorists

Pakistan has maintained since 2021 that Azhar is no longer in the country and had fled to Afghanistan. That year, the FIA had offered a PKR 50 lakh reward for information leading to his arrest.

The move to include Azhar on the list comes ahead of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plenary scheduled for October, as Pakistan seeks to prevent its return to the grey list. Notably, FATF is the global body that sets standards to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.

The FIA's latest Red Book also includes 19 terrorists linked to the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. They have been accused of supporting the attackers by providing funds, helping with logistics and arranging boats used by the operatives.

Who is Masood Azhar?

Masood Azhar is one of India's most-wanted terrorists. He has been linked to the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the 2016 Pathankot attack and the 2019 Pulwama attack.

The JeM chief has also been designated a global terrorist by the United Nations. India released him in 1999 as part of a deal to secure the release of passengers who were being held after the hijacking of IC-814.

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