New Delhi, September 15 (Daily Kiran) : India has sharply criticized Pakistan’s recent announcement to increase the reward for information leading to the capture of Masood Azhar, the leader of the terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). The Indian government described this move as a “false declaration” and merely a tactic to mislead, asserting that such hollow statements have been made before.
During a media briefing in New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal urged Pakistan to take real action against terrorists instead of making “false announcements.” He remarked, “Such tactics and attempts to mislead people are not new. We’ve seen similar maneuvers in the past. We all know there’s no substance to these claims. They should act rather than make meaningless announcements.”
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) of Pakistan has declared a new reward of 7 million Pakistani rupees for information on Azhar, claiming that the terrorist is hiding in Afghanistan. However, intelligence agencies and experts worldwide believe this is an attempt to evade scrutiny from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
Masood Azhar is often cited as the mastermind behind several terrorist attacks in India, including the Pulwama attack. Despite this, Islamabad has consistently denied his presence within its borders. The FIA’s new “red book” also lists 19 other terrorists linked to the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
This announcement comes at a time when Pakistan is under close watch for its actions against terror financing and militant groups. Security experts suggest that increasing the reward is merely a façade to appear as if they are taking action against Azhar while keeping his actual whereabouts hidden from international scrutiny.
In announcing the reward, the FIA insisted that Azhar is in Afghanistan and not in Pakistan, a claim that the Afghan Taliban has repeatedly rejected. Indian intelligence officials have consistently stated that Azhar remains in Pakistan.
Analysts argue that this increase in the reward is primarily aimed at misleading the FATF. They contend that Pakistan’s assertion of Azhar being in Afghanistan is false, as the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) would not risk keeping him there, especially given the deteriorating relations between the two countries.
This is not the first time the FIA has announced a reward for Azhar. In 2021, a reward of 5 million Pakistani rupees was offered, with Pakistan claiming at that time that he was not on its territory. Since the 2021 announcement, little has changed regarding Jaish and Azhar’s operations.
Under Azhar’s leadership, JeM has adopted new strategies in Jammu and Kashmir, including hybrid warfare and establishing proxy fronts. To evade FATF scrutiny, JeM has utilized proxy terrorist organizations like the People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), which has claimed responsibility for deadly attacks on Indian security forces in the dense forests of Poonch and Rajouri.
Officials believe that Pakistan’s primary objective remains the protection of Azhar and keeping him out of the FATF’s sight.
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