Stories
India Slams Pakistan's Bounty Hike for Jaish Chief Masood Azhar as 'Gimmick'
- •India dismissed Pakistan’s increased bounty on Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as a “gimmick” and a “phoney announcement”.
- •MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal called the move an “attempt to deceive” and stated Pakistan's history of similar “gimmicks”.
- •Pakistan raised the bounty for Azhar to 7 million Pakistani rupees (around Rs 24.09 lakh Indian currency), despite listing him as a most-wanted terrorist.
- •The announcement comes weeks before the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plenary meeting, where terrorist financing is reviewed.
- •Masood Azhar, founder of JeM, is accused of major attacks against India and is designated an international terrorist by the UN Security Council.
Key Questions Answered
India dismissed Pakistan's decision to increase the bounty on Masood Azhar as a "gimmick" and a "phoney announcement". Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal described the move as an attempt to deceive ("aankh mein dhool jhokne wali harkat"). He stated that such attempts at hoodwinking people are nothing new for a state sponsor of terrorism and urged Pakistan to take concrete action rather than making hollow announcements of no consequence.
Pakistan has increased the bounty on Masood Azhar to 7 million (70 lakh) Pakistani rupees, which is equivalent to approximately Rs 24.09 lakh in Indian currency. This represents a 20 lakh Pakistani rupee increase from the previous bounty of 50 lakh Pakistani rupees. The reward is offered by the Federal and Provincial governments of Pakistan for information leading directly to his apprehension or conviction.
Pakistan has maintained for years that Masood Azhar is not in the country, claiming instead that he fled to Afghanistan. However, Indian intelligence agencies and security sources state that Azhar is still on Pakistani soil, specifically operating from a safe haven in Nawabshah, located in Pakistan's Sindh province.
