India on Tuesday dismissed Pakistan’s decision to increase the bounty on Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief and UN-designated terrorist Masood Azhar to PKR 70 lakh, calling the move a “phoney announcement” and a “hollow gimmick” that does little to demonstrate Islamabad’s commitment to tackling terrorism.
At his weekly media briefing in New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Pakistan needed to take tangible action against terrorist leaders rather than issue public declarations.
He added that Pakistani authorities were aware of the whereabouts of such individuals and should arrest them instead of attempting to mislead the international community.
Jaiswal also described Pakistan’s latest move as part of a pattern, saying that “such gimmicks and hoodwinking by Pakistan is nothing new” and that similar announcements had been made in the past.
Pakistan raises bounty to PKR 70 lakh
Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency has increased the reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Masood Azhar to PKR 7 million (70 lakh) and listed him as a fugitive. The announcement comes ahead of an upcoming Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plenary, adding an international counter-terrorism dimension to the move.
The development also follows conflicting claims over Azhar’s whereabouts. Pakistan has maintained that the JeM founder is hiding in Afghanistan, while the Taliban has rejected that claim.
India questions Pakistan’s credibility
New Delhi’s response reflects its longstanding position that Pakistan’s formal designations and announcements have little value unless accompanied by enforcement action against terrorist organisations and their leadership.
Jaiswal’s remarks essentially placed the burden on Islamabad to demonstrate that its latest announcement is more than a public-relations exercise. Rather than announcing a reward for information on Azhar, India argued, Pakistan should use its own security and intelligence machinery to locate and apprehend him.
The timing has also attracted attention because Pakistan’s announcement comes before the FATF’s October review. Reports have linked the move to Islamabad’s efforts to demonstrate action against terrorism financing and terrorist networks ahead of international scrutiny.
Masood Azhar, the founder and chief of JeM, has been designated a terrorist by the United Nations. JeM has long been associated with attacks targeting India, while Azhar has remained a central figure in New Delhi’s concerns over Pakistan-based terrorism.
For India, therefore, the latest bounty announcement is unlikely to change its assessment of Pakistan’s counter-terrorism record. The message from the MEA was clear: announcements are not enough; Islamabad must demonstrate its intent through arrests and concrete action.
