Weeks before the FATF meeting, Pakistan raises the bounty on Jaish Chief Masood Azhar.

Pakistan has boosted the prize for information leading to the arrest of Jaish-e-Mohammed commander Masood Azhar to 7 million Pakistani rupees or Rs 24.09 lakh in Indian currency, as the country’s Federal Investigation Agency continues to name him among its most-wanted terrorists. The Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) plenary meeting in Paris from October 26 to 30 is just a few weeks away.

Reviews of nations under increased surveillance and other matters pertaining to money laundering and terrorism financing are discussed at the organization’s meetings. For years, Islamabad has insisted that Azhar is not in Pakistan and that he escaped to Afghanistan. However, the FIA’s official documents, such as its “Red Book of Most Wanted High-Profile Terrorists” from 2026, still contain his name.

Azhar, 58, is the founder and leader of JeM, a terrorist group with its headquarters in Pakistan that has been charged with carrying out some of the most significant assaults against India in the previous 20 years. The terrorist organization is based in Pakistan, and it has historically been linked to Bahawalpur, which India brutally bombarded during Operation Sindoor.

The United Nations Security Council has classified Azhar as an international terrorist. Azhar has long held a significant position in India’s narrative about international terrorism. The 2001 Parliament attack, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the 2016 Pathankot airbase attack, and the 2019 Pulwama bombing have all been connected to his terror group.

Azhar, 58, is the founder and leader of JeM, a terrorist group with its headquarters in Pakistan that has been charged with carrying out some of the most significant assaults against India in the previous 20 years. The terrorist organization is based in Pakistan, and it has historically been linked to Bahawalpur, which India brutally bombarded during Operation Sindoor.

The United Nations Security Council has classified Azhar as an international terrorist. Azhar has long held a significant position in India’s narrative about international terrorism. The 2001 Parliament attack, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the 2016 Pathankot airbase attack, and the 2019 Pulwama bombing have all been connected to his terror group.

After Indian Airlines flight IC-814 was hijacked in December 1999, Masood Azhar was freed from Indian jail. As the plane was travelling from Kathmandu to Delhi, five terrorists took control of it.

After then, the plane was diverted through Amritsar, Lahore, and Dubai before arriving in Kandahar, Afghanistan, which was then ruled by the Taliban. Following a protracted hostage situation, India consented to free Azhar and two other terrorists in prison in return for the travellers. He started Jaish-e-Mohammed in 1999 or 2000 after being freed.

Although Azhar escaped Operation Sindoor, his family members perished in the assault. In response to the Pahalgam terror incident, India began attacking nine locations that were home to terrorist infrastructure on May 7. According to reports, the strikes killed at least ten members of Azhar’s family. There were also reports of the deaths of four of his assistants. Azhar’s older sister, her husband, a nephew, the nephew’s wife, a niece, and five children from the extended family were among those slain.