Pakistan names Masood Azhar in 2026 Red Book, raises bounty ahead of FATF review

Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has included Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar in its 2026 Red Book of most wanted high-profile terrorists, with the reward for information leading to his capture raised to PKR 70 lakh.

The development comes ahead of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plenary scheduled for October, with Pakistan facing renewed international scrutiny over its efforts to combat terrorism and terrorist financing.

The FIA's Counter Terrorism Wing confirms that it compiles and publishes the Red Book of most wanted terrorists as part of its counter-terrorism work. The agency's 2026 page lists the publication as the "Red Book 2026 of Most Wanted High Profile Terrorists".

Masood Azhar reward raised to PKR 70 lakh

The bounty on Azhar has been increased from PKR 20 lakh to PKR 70 lakh. Pakistan had announced a PKR 50 lakh reward for information leading to his arrest in 2021.

Pakistani authorities have maintained since 2021 that Azhar is no longer in the country and had escaped to Afghanistan. The latest listing, however, places the JeM chief among Pakistan's most wanted terrorists.

Azhar is among India's most-wanted terrorists and has been linked to several major attacks, including the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the 2016 Pathankot attack and the 2019 Pulwama attack.

He was designated a global terrorist by the United Nations. India released him in 1999 in exchange for passengers held hostage during the hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814.

India has repeatedly accused Pakistan of "feigning ignorance" about Azhar's presence, as well as that of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed.

The Indian government designated Azhar as a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in 2019. The Union government identified him as the chief, founder and key leader of JeM and noted that he had also been designated a global terrorist by the United Nations.

FIA Red Book names 26/11-linked terrorists

The revised FIA list also includes 19 terrorists accused of involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks. They are accused of providing funds, arranging logistics or facilitating the boats used by the attackers.

Eleven of those named are LeT operatives accused of helping arrange the attackers' sea journey on the boats Al-Hussaini and Al-Fauz. They are Muhammad Amjad Khan of Multan, Shahid Gafoor of Bahawalpur, Mohammad Usman of Sahiwal, Ateeq-ur-Rehman of Lahore, Riaz Ahmad of Hafizabad, Muhammad Mushtaq of Gujranwala, Muhammad Naeem of Dera Ghazi Khan, Abdul Shakoor of Karachi, Muhammad Sabir Salfi of Multan, Muhammad Usman of Lodhran and Shakeel Ahmed of Rahim Yar Khan.

The list also identifies six people accused of financing the Mumbai attacks.

They include Muhammad Iftikhar Ali of Faisalabad, an LeT operative accused of spending PKR 70,000 on setting up Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) connections that enabled the attackers to communicate with their handlers; Mohammad Zia of Rawalpindi, who allegedly gave PKR 80,000 to LeT; Mohammad Abbas Nasir of Khanewal, who allegedly contributed PKR 2,53,000; Javed Iqbal of Kasur, who allegedly provided PKR 1,86,430; Mukhtar Ahmad of Mandi Bahauddin, who allegedly donated PKR 2,98,047; and Ahmed Saeed of Battagram, who allegedly provided PKR 21 lakh for the operation.

Pakistan has previously published lists containing individuals linked to the Mumbai attacks, including facilitators, financiers and crew members of the vessels used in the operation.

FATF scrutiny adds significance to timing

The inclusion of Azhar comes as Pakistan seeks to demonstrate its counter-terrorism and anti-terror financing credentials ahead of the FATF's October plenary.

The FATF is the global body responsible for setting standards aimed at combating money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing. Pakistan's FIA says its Financial Investigation Unit is part of national task forces and collects and shares information on terrorist financing, money laundering and hawala with the FATF Secretariat.

Pakistan is not currently on the FATF grey list. The country was removed from the list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring in October 2022 after the FATF concluded that it had completed the required action plans.

The latest FATF plenary, held in June 2026, continued to maintain a separate list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring. Pakistan was not among those listed.

The latest action involving Azhar therefore comes against the backdrop of Pakistan's continuing efforts to demonstrate compliance with international standards on terrorism and terrorist financing, rather than an existing FATF grey-listing.

Pakistan's position on Azhar remains contested

Pakistan has previously maintained that Azhar left the country and was in Afghanistan. India, however, has long alleged that Pakistan has provided safe haven to leaders of terrorist organisations operating against India.

Azhar founded JeM, an organisation that India and the United Nations have designated as a terrorist entity. His name has remained closely associated with attacks targeting India, including the Parliament attack, the Mumbai attacks, Pathankot and Pulwama.

The latest Red Book entry and increase in the bounty represent a formal move by Pakistan's federal investigative agency to list Azhar among its most wanted high-profile terrorists.

The FIA's Counter Terrorism Wing says its mandate includes counter-terrorism investigations, terrorist financing and related financial investigations, while its Cyber Terrorism Investigation Unit is responsible for maintaining the National Criminal Database and compiling the Red Book.