New Delhi: Pakistan has placed United Nations-listed Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar in this year’s Federal Investigation Agency Red Book of most wanted terrorists, with a PKR 7 million reward offered for information leading to his capture. The FIA’s counterterrorism wing has published the latest edition of the “red book on its official website.
ABP News, citing ANI, reported Azhar’s entry carries the PKR 7 million reward and that the updated list contains 1,804 wanted individuals.The announcement comes ahead of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Plenary and working group meetings scheduled in Paris from October 26 to 30. Pakistan, however, is not currently on the FATF grey list, officially termed jurisdictions under increased monitoring, and no FATF statement has linked Azhar’s latest listing or reward to the October meeting.
Pakistan was removed from increased monitoring in October 2022 after FATF said it had completed two action plans covering 34 items. It does not appear on the watchdog’s latest list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring.
The United Nations security council designated Azhar in May 2019 for his association with al-Qaida through JeM. The UN record identifies him as the founder of JeM, which he established after his release from Indian custody in 1999 in exchange for passengers held hostage following the hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814 to Kandahar. JeM itself has been on the UN sanctions list since October 2001.
The development is closely watched in India because JeM has been linked to several terrorist attacks. The UN says JeM and Lashkar-e-Taiba were implicated in the December 2001 Parliament attack. India’s National Investigation Agency has also linked JeM to the 2016 Pathankot airbase attack and identified the outfit’s operatives and Pakistan based leadership in its investigation into the 2019 Pulwama bombing, in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel were killed. The NIA continues to list Azhar as an absconding accused wanted in multiple terrorism cases in India.
Whereabouts remain disputed
Azhar’s whereabouts remain unclear. RNA Media had earlier reported that he had allegedly been sighted in Gilgit-Baltistan in POK after Pakistan publicly suggested that it did not know his location and that he could be in Afghanistan. Pakistan’s foreign office had separately said in 2022 that it raised his suspected presence in Afghanistan with Taliban authorities, a claim Kabul rejected.
ABP News, citing Indian intelligence sources, reported that more recent technical assessments had pointed to Azhar possibly being in Sindh province in Pakistan. That remains an intelligence assessment and has not been independently established.
The updated red book also contains people accused of assisting the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. ABP News reported that 19 such suspects appear in the latest list, including individuals accused of helping finance the operation or arranging boats used by the attackers. It said photographs and alleged roles were retained for 17, while some identifying details previously associated with two other entries were removed.