India's Ministry of External Affairs has described Pakistan's recent increase in the bounty on Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a 'gimmick'. This move comes ahead of a Financial Action Task Force meeting in October.
On Tuesday, India’s Ministry of External Affairs dismissed Pakistan's recent increase in the bounty on Azhar as a 'gimmick'. The Pakistani government raised the reward from 50 lakh Pakistani rupees to 70 lakh Pakistani rupees ahead of an upcoming meeting of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). This international money laundering watchdog will review Islamabad’s anti-terrorism efforts during the meeting, according to media reports. Pakistan had been placed on the grey list of the watchdog between 2018 and 2022 for its failure to counter terror financing. Azhar is wanted in India for various terrorist attacks, including the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the 2016 Pathankot airbase attack, and the 2019 Pulwama bombing. Responding to a question about Pakistan increasing the bounty on him during a press briefing on Tuesday, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that such ‘hoodwinking’ by Islamabad was not new. He stated, 'We have seen such gimmicks in the past as well.' Jasiwal added, 'For a state sponsor of terror to make an announcement, phoney announcement, we all know how hollow it is.' Instead of making such announcements, he suggested that Pakistan should arrest the terrorists ‘because they themselves know where these people are’.
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