Pakistan’s decision to raise the reward for information leading to the arrest of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) founder Masood Azhar from PKR 5 million to PKR 7 million and to list him as a fugitive in the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) 2026 Red Book is, on the face of it, an enforcement measure. But the timing and the larger history of Pakistan’s handling of terrorism make it difficult to view the move without scrutiny.

Coming ahead of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meeting scheduled for October 26-30, it inevitably raises questions about whether Islamabad is seeking to demonstrate compliance rather than demonstrate genuine action.

Masood Azhar is not an obscure militant whose whereabouts have suddenly become a matter of concern. His history is well known. Released by India in 1999 following the hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814, he returned to Pakistan and subsequently founded the JeM. The organisation has been associated with several major terrorist attacks against India, including the Parliament attack, the Pathankot attack and the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing, in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel were killed. JeM claimed responsibility for the Pulwama attack.

The international community has also long recognised the seriousness of Azhar’s activities. In May 2019, the United Nations Security Council designated him under its sanctions regime, subjecting him to an assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo. Yet, despite his international designation, Pakistan has for years maintained an uncertain position regarding his whereabouts. At various points, Islamabad has suggested that he had moved to Afghanistan, while Indian agencies have maintained that he remains within Pakistan. The sudden appearance of his name as a fugitive in Pakistan’s own official list therefore deserves more than routine attention.

Pakistan is entitled to argue that placing a wanted terrorist in an official law-enforcement document and increasing the reward for information are legitimate steps. Such a claim cannot simply be dismissed. But counter-terrorism cannot ultimately be judged by announcements, lists or monetary rewards. Its credibility rests on arrests, prosecutions, financial investigations and the dismantling of organisations and networks that facilitate terrorism.

This is particularly relevant in the context of FATF. Pakistan was placed under increased monitoring, commonly known as the ‘grey list’, from 2018 until 2022. It was removed after completing the required action plans relating to terrorist financing and money laundering. That history means Pakistan’s actions will inevitably be assessed not merely by their appearance, but by their effectiveness and consistency.

It would therefore be premature to conclude that the latest reward has been announced solely to avoid renewed FATF scrutiny. Yet its timing clearly invites such a question. If Pakistan wants its action against Azhar to be taken seriously, it must provide evidence that goes beyond a revised Red Book entry. The same applies to the wider infrastructure surrounding JeM and other proscribed organisations.

The credibility problem becomes sharper when viewed against Pakistan’s record in dealing with the perpetrators and facilitators of the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. India has consistently pressed Pakistan to bring those responsible for planning and financing the attacks to justice. Repeated assertions that terrorists are not present on Pakistani soil, without convincing investigations and prosecutions, have done little to establish confidence.

For India, therefore, the latest development should neither be dismissed automatically nor welcomed uncritically. The appropriate response is to judge Pakistan by verifiable outcomes. If Masood Azhar is genuinely located, arrested and subjected to a transparent judicial process, it would represent a significant departure from past ambiguity. If, however, the increased bounty remains only an entry in an official document, it will look less like a counter-terrorism breakthrough and more like a carefully timed diplomatic gesture.

Pakistan’s real test is not whether it can put a fugitive’s name in a book. It is whether it is prepared to act against the machinery that has allowed such fugitives to survive for decades.