Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has listed Jaish-e-Mohammed founder Maulana Masood Azhar in its 2026 “Red Book” of most-wanted suspects and announced a reward of Pakistani Rs 7 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction.
The entry, contained in a Counter Terrorism Wing document dated 2026, identifies Azhar as “Maulana Masood Azhar”, son of Khuda Baksh, and lists his affiliation as Jaish-e-Muhammad. His address is given as Kousar Colony B in Model Town, Bahawalpur.
The document describes Azhar as tall, with a “healthy/heavy” build, a wheatish complexion and blackish hair. He is also marked as “considered armed and extremely dangerous”.
The FIA document cites three FIRs registered by Counter Terrorism Departments in Gujranwala, Multan and Lahore between 2020 and 2021. It also refers to a Punjab Home Department communication dated December 31, 2021, identifying Azhar as the head of Jaish-e-Muhammad.
The FIA has provided a helpline and UAN number for information about the wanted militant.
The latest announcement comes weeks before an October plenary of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), where Pakistan’s record on countering terror financing is expected to come under scrutiny. Pakistan had previously announced a Rs 5 million reward for information leading to Azhar’s arrest in 2021.
Pakistan has long maintained that Azhar left the country and moved to Afghanistan. The Taliban government in Kabul has rejected Islamabad’s claim that he is present in Afghanistan.
Azhar’s inclusion in the latest Red Book has attracted scrutiny in India, particularly because it comes after India’s Operation Sindoor in May 2025. During the operation, Indian forces targeted Jaish-e-Mohammed facilities in Pakistan, including the Markaz Subhanallah complex in Bahawalpur, following the April 22, 2025 Pahalgam terror attack.
Satellite imagery and footage published in August 2026 showed that the Bahawalpur complex had undergone repairs, with its domes rebuilt, craters filled and interiors refurbished.
Azhar was designated a terrorist by the UN Security Council in 2019. India has accused him and his organisation of involvement in several major terror attacks, including the 2001 Parliament attack and the 2019 Pulwama attack. He has also been linked by Indian authorities to the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
The latest Pakistani document does not indicate that Azhar has been arrested or that his whereabouts have been established.
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