# India slams Pakistan’s bounty hike on Masood Azhar as gimmick

2026-09-15T12:51:49+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 6 independent outlets

India on Tuesday dismissed Pakistan's decision to increase the reward on Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar from PKR 50 lakh to PKR 70 lakh as a "phoney announcement" and an attempt to hoodwink the international community. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said such gimmicks were nothing new from a "state sponsor of terrorism" and called on Pakistan to take concrete action against terror groups instead of making hollow declarations. Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) included Azhar in its latest Red Book of most-wanted terrorists and raised the bounty, according to Times of India. India Today noted the move comes ahead of the FATF plenary in October, while sources told India Today that Indian intelligence believes Azhar is in Pakistan's Sindh province, contrary to Islamabad's claims that he fled to Afghanistan. India has linked Azhar to multiple attacks including the 2001 Parliament attack, 2016 Pathankot airbase attack, and 2019 Pulwama bombing.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

All six sources uniformly report India's dismissal of Pakistan's bounty hike as a gimmick, with no outlet offering a pro-Pakistan or critical framing of India's position. The consensus reflects straight reportage of a clear diplomatic rebuke. The only variation is depth: Times of India and India Today add the FATF context and intelligence assessments that undermine Pakistan's claims, while others merely relay the MEA statement. The FIA Red Book listing and FATF review give concrete benchmarks to watch for Pakistan's compliance credibility.

## Coverage

- hindustantimes.com (neutral report) <https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/gimmicks-phoney-announcement-india-on-pakistan-move-to-raise-bounty-on-jaish-chief-masood-azhar-101789470227289.html>
  Straight news wire-style reporting of MEA statement, no added context or drama
- timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) <https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/such-gimmicks-are-nothing-new-india-slams-pakistan-over-phoney-announcement-of-rs-70-lakh-bounty-on-masood-azhar/articleshow/134260390.cms>
  Leads with India's criticism but adds detailed FIA and FATF context
- news.abplive.com (neutral report) <https://news.abplive.com/news/hollow-phoney-gimmick-india-slams-pakistan-over-rs-70-lakh-bounty-on-masood-azhar-1866852>
  Quotes MEA verbatim, embeds ANI video, adds no commentary beyond the statement
- indiatvnews.com (neutral report) <https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/gimmicks-and-hoodwinking-attempts-india-on-pakistan-s-bounty-of-pkr-7-million-on-jaish-chief-masood-azhar-2026-09-15-1054301>
  Very brief wire-like report, just the official reaction without background
- indiatoday.in (neutral report) <https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/phoney-pre-fatf-move-india-slams-pakistan-over-rs-20-lakh-terrorist-masood-azhar-bounty-hike-jem-gimmick-mea-2995128-2026-09-15?utm_source=rss>
  Leads with India's response but adds substantial context including Operation Sindoor
- ndtv.com (neutral report) <https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/phoney-announcement-india-on-terror-sponsor-pakistan-raising-reward-on-masood-azhar-12049563>
  Ultra-short, single quote from MEA, no background at all

Tags: FATF, India, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Masood Azhar, Pakistan
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