Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has announced a fresh bounty of PKR 70 lakh on Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar while claiming that the terrorist leader is hiding in Afghanistan.
Indian intelligence officials, however, maintain that their tracking shows Azhar remains in Pakistan and has been moved between multiple locations, including Sindh and Rawalpindi.
Pakistan’s FATF eyewash
The latest bounty comes at a time when Pakistan continues to face scrutiny over its action against terror financing and militant groups.
Security officials and Pakistan observers believe the increased bounty could be aimed at creating an impression of action against Azhar while keeping his actual whereabouts away from international scrutiny, particularly that of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
While announcing the increased bounty, the FIA reiterated that Azhar is in Afghanistan and not Pakistan.
The claim however has repeatedly been rejected by the Afghan Taliban.
Indian intelligence officials also dispute Islamabad’s version. An Intelligence Bureau official said intelligence tracking clearly indicates that Azhar is in Pakistan.
“During Operation Sindoor, he was very much in Bahawalpur, but not at the Jaish-e-Mohammed headquarters that was hit. At the time of the operation, he was immediately shifted to the Combined Military Hospital in Rawalpindi. He has been on and off at the facility as he suffers from chronic renal failure,” the official said.
Operation Sindoor aftermath keeps Azhar on the move
Another official said Azhar has been moved several times within Pakistan since the launch of Operation Sindoor last year.
According to the official, the JeM chief has not returned to Bahawalpur since the operation and has instead been shifted between at least three or four locations.
“He is never kept in one place for long due to security reasons. When he was at the Rawalpindi hospital, a mysterious explosion had taken place during which he suffered minor injuries,” the official added.
Officials said Azhar’s frequent movement is driven not only by security concerns but also by mounting pressure from the FATF.
JeM rebuilds its network
The ISI, they said, cannot afford to lose Azhar at a time when JeM is rebuilding its network.
Azhar has continued to release audio clips urging cadres and potential recruits to remain brave and fight against Indian forces in Jammu and Kashmir.
“He is a polarising figure, and the ISI needs to keep him safe. Moreover, with tensions so high with the Taliban, the possibility of Pakistan moving him to Afghanistan is impossible,” the officials said.
Indian intelligence tracking also suggests that Azhar is frequently housed at a facility in Nawabshah City in Sindh province. Officials said he has another safe house in Skardu, located in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The PoK region has witnessed protests, prompting a change in the recruitment strategy, according to officials. The ISI has, for now, stopped recruitment in PoK and shifted its focus to other parts of Pakistan to recruit young people for terror groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.
“This also prompted Pakistan to move Azhar away from PoK and send him back to Nawabshah. He is currently moved between Nawabshah and Rawalpindi,” officials said.
Pakistan observers have questioned the purpose behind the increased bounty, arguing that it could be an attempt to hoodwink the FATF. They said Pakistan’s claim that Azhar is in Afghanistan is incorrect and that the ISI would not risk keeping him there amid deteriorating relations between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban.
The latest announcement is not the first time Pakistan has announced a bounty on Azhar. In 2021, the FIA had announced a bounty of PKR 50 lakh for information leading to his capture. Pakistan had also claimed at the time that Azhar was not on its soil. However, little changed in terms of JeM’s activities or Azhar’s status following that announcement.
Azhar has overseen JeM’s adoption of new tactics in Jammu and Kashmir, including a shift towards hybrid warfare and the use of proxy fronts.
To evade scrutiny from the FATF, JeM has operated through proxy terror outfits such as the People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF). The outfit has claimed responsibility for deadly ambushes targeting Indian security forces in the dense forest areas of Poonch and Rajouri.
Officials said Pakistan’s current priority is to keep Azhar safe while also keeping him away from FATF scrutiny. Although he had released several audio clips aimed at boosting the morale of his cadres, the ISI has deliberately asked him to stop doing so for the time being, officials said.
“Islamabad wants to give the impression that Azhar is out of the country and Pakistan has nothing to do with him at least until the FATF meetings scheduled between October 26 and 30 in Paris are complete,” an official said.
(with IANS inputs)
