Pakistan raises bounty on Masood Azhar ahead of FATF review

Pakistan's government announced an enhanced bounty on Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) leader Masood Azhar on Wednesday, raising the reward by PKR 20 lakh to encourage information from the public. The increase comes amid intensified international pressure on Islamabad to crack down on designated terrorist organizations.

The timing of the announcement reflects Pakistan's efforts to demonstrate commitment to counter-terrorism measures ahead of an upcoming Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plenary session. The FATF, an international body focused on combating money laundering and terrorist financing, has maintained enhanced scrutiny of Pakistan's progress in addressing terrorism-related concerns.

Masood Azhar, founder and leader of JeM, has been designated as a terrorist by the United Nations and several countries including India and the United States. The militant organization has been linked to multiple attacks in India and Pakistan, including the 2019 Pulwama attack that killed 40 Indian security personnel.

Pakistan's move to escalate the bounty is seen as part of broader efforts to satisfy international watchdogs regarding its counter-terrorism framework. The country has faced repeated warnings from FATF over inadequate action against terrorist financing and designated organizations operating on its soil. Whether the increased reward will yield concrete results remains to be seen, as previous bounty announcements have generated limited actionable intelligence.