New Delhi, 15 September (H.S.): The Ministry of External Affairs has described Pakistan’s decision to increase the reward for information leading to the arrest of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a hollow exercise. India said Pakistan should take concrete action against terrorism instead of merely making announcements.

Responding to a question at a media briefing on Tuesday, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that genuine and effective measures against terrorism were essential.

Pakistan has increased the reward announced for Masood Azhar in the Red Book of its Federal Investigation Agency from Pakistani Rs 5 million to Rs 7 million. The reward had stood at Rs 5 million since 2021.

He said, “Such false announcements by a country that sponsors terrorism — we all know how hollow they are. Instead of making such announcements, Pakistan should take concrete action.”

It is noteworthy that various sources believe Azhar is in Pakistan, while Pakistan claims that he has fled to Afghanistan. Azhar has been linked to several terror attacks, including the 2019 Pulwama terror attack. The decision to increase the reward is believed to be an attempt by Pakistan to strengthen its compliance credentials ahead of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plenary meeting scheduled to be held in October 2026.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar