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India on Tuesday dismissed Pakistan’s announcement of a PKR 70 lakh reward for information leading to the arrest of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, calling it a “phoney” move by a “state sponsor of terrorism.” The statement comes a day after Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) increased the bounty on Azhar, with Islamabad maintaining that Azhar is hiding in Afghanistan.
India Dismisses Pakistan's Reward As 'Phoney'
During a weekly press briefing, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said such “gimmicks” and attempts to “hoodwink people” are not new and urged Pakistan to take concrete action against terrorism rather than make announcements that were ultimately of no consequence.
“Such gimmicks and attempts at hoodwinking people by Pakistan are nothing new. We have seen similar gimmicks in the past as well. 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,” Jaiswal said.
What's Behind Pakistan's Move?
While announcing the hike in the bounty on Monday, the FIA maintained that Azhar is in Afghanistan and not Pakistan, a claim that has repeatedly been rejected by the Afghan Taliban. Many intelligence agencies and global observers view this move as an attempt to evade scrutiny by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
Citing Indian intelligence officials, IANS reported that Azhar is very much in Pakistan. An Intelligence Bureau official said that their tracking clearly reveals that he is very much in Pakistan. "During Operation Sindoor, he was very much in Bahawalpur, but not at the Jaish-e-Mohammed headquarters that was hit. At the time of the operation, he was immediately shifted to the Combined Military Hospital in Rawalpindi. He has been on and off at the facility as he suffers from chronic renal failure,” the official said.
Another official claimed that Azhar has been moved multiple times within Pakistan after last year’s Operation Sindoor, a targeted military counter-terrorism operation launched by the Indian Armed Forces in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. It is reported that the Jaish chief has not returned to Bahawalpur since the operation and has instead been shifted between at least three or four locations.
Who Is Masood Azhar?
Masood Azhar is a Pakistani militant leader and the founder and leader of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). India considers Azhar one of its most-wanted terrorists. He has been linked to several major attacks in India, including the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the 2016 Pathankot attack and the 2019 Pulwama attack.
In 2019, the United Nations Security Council officially listed Masood Azhar as an international terrorist. Islamabad has maintained since 2021 that Azhar is no longer in the country and had fled to Afghanistan. That year, FIA had announced a reward of PKR 50 lakh for information that could lead to his arrest.