AI Generated Summary
- The timing of the move has drawn attention in India, where security officials view it against the backdrop of Pakistan’s efforts to remain outside the FATF grey list, which subjects countries with deficiencies in their systems against money laundering and terror financing to increased international scrutiny.
- They include Muhammad Amjad Khan of Multan, Shahid Gafoor of Bahawalpur, Mohammad Usman of Sahiwal, Ateeq-ur-Rehman of Lahore, Riaz Ahmad of Hafizabad, Muhammad Mushtaq of Gujranwala, Muhammad Naeem of Dera Ghazi Khan, Abdul Shakoor of Karachi, Muhammad Sabir Salfi of Multan, Muhammad Usman of Lodhran and Shakeel Ahmed of Rahim Yar Khan.
- Pakistan has increased the reward for information leading to the arrest of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar to PKR 70 lakh, weeks before the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is scheduled to hold its plenary meeting in Paris from October 26 to 30.
JeM chief remains on FIA’s most-wanted list; number of terror suspects in Pakistan’s ‘Red Book’ rises 35% in five years
Pakistan has increased the reward for information leading to the arrest of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar to PKR 70 lakh, weeks before the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is scheduled to hold its plenary meeting in Paris from October 26 to 30.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) raised the bounty on the 58-year-old JeM founder by PKR 20 lakh on Monday while retaining him in its latest “Red Book” of most-wanted terrorists.
The timing of the move has drawn attention in India, where security officials view it against the backdrop of Pakistan’s efforts to remain outside the FATF grey list, which subjects countries with deficiencies in their systems against money laundering and terror financing to increased international scrutiny.
Azhar is wanted by India in connection with a string of major terrorist attacks and has also been designated a global terrorist by the United Nations Security Council. He was among the fugitives whose handover India sought from Pakistan, a demand reiterated following the November 2008 Mumbai attacks.
Indian agencies have linked JeM to the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2016 assault on the Pathankot airbase and the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing. Azhar’s name has also figured in investigations surrounding the November 10, 2025, blast near Delhi’s Red Fort.
Pakistan has maintained that the JeM leader left the country for Afghanistan, a position disputed by the Taliban government in Kabul. Indian intelligence agencies, meanwhile, believe Azhar continues to remain inside Pakistan. According to recent technical assessments cited by Indian intelligence sources, he has been hiding in Nawabshah in Sindh province.
Azhar has figured in the FIA’s Red Book since 2021.
The latest edition also lists 19 people linked to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks for allegedly assisting the attackers, financing the operation or helping arrange vessels used to transport the 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) gunmen to Mumbai.
Seventeen of the suspects are identified with photographs and descriptions of their alleged roles. However, the entries for two others — Muhammad Khan of Turbat and Abdul Rehman of Bahawalnagar — contain only their names. Indian intelligence officials claim references to their LeT links and operational roles have been removed from the latest list.
Khan is accused of providing the vessel Al-Hussaini, which was used during preparations for the Mumbai operation.
The FIA roster names 11 alleged LeT operatives accused of facilitating the attackers’ journey by sea using Al-Hussaini and Al-Fauz. They include Muhammad Amjad Khan of Multan, Shahid Gafoor of Bahawalpur, Mohammad Usman of Sahiwal, Ateeq-ur-Rehman of Lahore, Riaz Ahmad of Hafizabad, Muhammad Mushtaq of Gujranwala, Muhammad Naeem of Dera Ghazi Khan, Abdul Shakoor of Karachi, Muhammad Sabir Salfi of Multan, Muhammad Usman of Lodhran and Shakeel Ahmed of Rahim Yar Khan.
Another six suspects have been accused of providing funds for the operation.
According to the FIA, Muhammad Iftikhar Ali of Faisalabad provided PKR 70,000 towards setting up Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) connections used for communication between the Mumbai attackers and their handlers. Mohammad Zia of Rawalpindi allegedly contributed PKR 80,000, while Mohammad Abbas Nasir of Khanewal provided PKR 2.53 lakh.
Javed Iqbal of Kasur allegedly contributed PKR 1.86 lakh, Mukhtar Ahmad of Mandi Bahauddin PKR 2.98 lakh and Ahmed Saeed of Battagram PKR 21 lakh.
The FIA maintains that the 17 suspects have remained absconding for 18 years. Indian intelligence agencies, however, claim they continue to reside in Pakistan and have questioned whether their inclusion in the most-wanted list has translated into substantive action against them.
The latest Red Book also points to a sharp increase in Pakistan’s overall roster of wanted terrorism suspects. The number has risen from 1,330 in 2021 to 1,804 in 2026 — an increase of about 35 per cent over five years.
Azhar remains one of the most prominent names on the list because of his long history with India.
He was arrested in India in 1994 and subsequently lodged in Jammu’s Kot Bhalwal jail. Five years later, he was among three jailed terrorists released by India during the Indian Airlines IC-814 hostage crisis.
The Kathmandu-Delhi flight was hijacked in December 1999 by five terrorists and diverted through Amritsar, Lahore and Dubai before being flown to Kandahar, Afghanistan, which was under Taliban rule at the time. Following days of negotiations, India released Azhar and two other prisoners in exchange for the hostages.
After returning to Pakistan, Azhar founded JeM around 1999-2000. The outfit subsequently emerged as one of the major Pakistan-based terrorist organisations targeting India.
JeM has traditionally maintained its principal base in Bahawalpur, which was among the locations struck by India during Operation Sindoor. Azhar survived the operation, but at least 10 members of his extended family were reported killed, including his elder sister, her husband, a nephew, the nephew’s wife, a niece and five children.
The fresh bounty on Azhar now places renewed focus on whether Islamabad will follow the announcement with concrete action against the JeM chief and other internationally wanted terrorist suspects on its own most-wanted list.
