Pakistan’s Big Masood Azhar Move: Bounty hiked to Rs 70 Lakh — What’s FATF Link, How could this save Islamabad from grey list?
Pakistan on Monday named Jaish chief Masood Azhar among most wanted terrorists. Islamabad has also hiked bounty to PKR 70 lakh ahead of FATF review meeting.
Pakistan’s Big Masood Azhar Move: Bounty hiked to Rs 70 Lakh — What’s FATF Link, How could this save Islamabad from grey list? | Image: AI
Pakistan Names Masood Azhar Among The Most Wanted Terrorists: Pakistan has made its move by naming Jaish chief Masood Azhar among the most wanted terrorists, increasing his bounty to PKR 70 lakh. The move has come ahead of the crucial Financial Action Task Force (FATF) review meeting, which is scheduled for October. The country's Federal Investigative Agency (FIA) has reportedly issued its 2026 list of the most wanted terrorists. In the list, the country has named Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar among the most wanted terrorists. The Pakistani leadership has raised the reward amount for crucial information leading to his capture from PKR 20 lakh to PKR 70 lakh.
What's The FATF Link To Pakistan's Masood Azhar Move?
Islamabad's move to include Azhar on the most wanted terrorists list has come ahead of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plenary. The desperate move has come as the neighbouring country is trying to prevent its return to the grey list. It is worth noting that FATF is a global organisation responsible for setting standards to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.
Interestingly, since 2021, Pak has claimed that Masood Azhar escaped to Afghanistan and is no longer in the country. Earlier, FIA announced a PKR 50 lakh reward for any information leading to Azhar. After five years, the bounty has been increased to PKR 70 lakh.
Graphical Representation
FIA's Red Book
It is to be noted that FIA's latest Red Book links 19 terrorists to the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. These terrorists are accused of assisting attackers with funds and other resources, including logistics used by the operatives.
The revised list mentions 11 Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists who provided resources and arranged sea journey for attackers.
The names of the terrorists are: Muhammad Amjad Khan (Multan), Shahid Gafoor (Bahawalpur), Mohammad Usman (Sahiwal), Ateeq-ur-Rehman (Lahore), Riaz Ahmad (Hafizabad), Muhammad Mushtaq (Gujranwala), Muhammad Naeem (Dera Ghazi Khan), Abdul Shakoor (Karachi), Muhammad Sabir Salfi (Multan), Muhammad Usman (Lodhran), and Shakeel Ahmed (Rahim Yar Khan), news agency ANI said in a report.
The list also mentions six terrorists who are accused of funding 26/11 attacks: Muhammad Iftikhar Ali (Faisalabad), Mohammad Zia (Rawalpindi), Mohammad Abbas Nasir (Khanewal), Javed Iqbal (Kasur), Mukhtar Ahmad (Mandi Bahauddin), and Ahmed Saeed (Battagram).
India Hit Back At Pakistan Over 'Feigning Ignorance' On Masood Azhar
India has listed Masood Azhar as one of the most-wanted terrorists. Azhar has been directly linked to 2001 Parliament attack, 2008 Mumbai attacks, the 2016 Pathankot attack and 2019 Pulwama attack.
The United Nations has already designated JeM chief as a global terrorist. He was released by India in 1999 in exchange for hostages during IC-814 hijacking. The Indian government has repeatedly accused Islamabad of pretending not to know about the presence of Masood Azhar and Hafiz Saeed in the country.
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