Islamabad: Pakistan has increased the reward for information leading to the arrest of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar to PKR 7 million, or roughly ₹24 lakh, while listing the UN-designated terrorist as a fugitive in its latest 2026 Red Book of Most Wanted High-Profile Terrorists.
The updated listing appears just weeks before the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plenary in Paris from October 26 to 30, putting renewed focus on Pakistan’s record in tackling terrorism and terror financing. Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officially maintains a 2026 Red Book through its Counter Terrorism Wing.
Azhar’s inclusion is notable because Islamabad has previously maintained that he is not in Pakistan and had fled to Afghanistan. The latest FIA listing, however, identifies him as a wanted fugitive and places a substantial reward on information leading to his capture. Reports on the updated listing say the bounty was raised from PKR 2 million to PKR 7 million.
Pakistan’s FIA has listed Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar in its 2026 Red Book of most-wanted suspects and announced a Rs 70 lakh reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction
The move comes ahead of FATF scrutiny@sidhant shares more details#pakistan… pic.twitter.com/Bn5QOHGxzS
— WION (@WIONews) September 14, 2026
FATF timing puts spotlight on Pakistan
The move comes ahead of a major FATF review focused on global measures against money laundering and terrorist financing. Pakistan was removed from the FATF’s increased-monitoring process in October 2022 after the watchdog said Islamabad had made significant progress in strengthening its anti-money-laundering and counter-terror-financing regime.
The timing of the Masood Azhar listing is therefore likely to attract international scrutiny, particularly over whether Pakistan’s actions against designated terrorist figures translate into effective enforcement rather than simply appearing on official wanted lists.
Azhar remains UN-designated terrorist
Masood Azhar was designated by the UN Security Council in May 2019 for his association with al-Qaeda and his role as founder of Jaish-e-Mohammed. The UN identifies JeM as a Pakistan-based extremist organisation founded by Azhar after his release from Indian custody in 1999.
JeM and its leadership have long been linked to major attacks in India. The UN records that JeM and Lashkar-e-Taiba were implicated in the December 2001 Parliament attack, while the group has also been associated with subsequent attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.
Azhar again came into sharp focus during Operation Sindoor in May 2025. Indian strikes targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir following the Pahalgam terror attack. Reuters reported that a JeM-linked site in Bahawalpur was hit, while Azhar acknowledged that 10 members of his family and four close associates were killed.
The latest bounty and fugitive designation now put Masood Azhar—and Pakistan’s handling of one of the country’s most prominent internationally designated terrorists—back under the global spotlight ahead of the October FATF meeting.
