Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has announced a fresh bounty of PKR 70 lakh on Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, claiming the designated terrorist is hiding in Afghanistan — a position that Indian intelligence officials, Afghan Taliban authorities, and global security observers have consistently rejected. The announcement, made on 15 September 2026, is widely seen as a calibrated move to deflect scrutiny ahead of key Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meetings.

India's Intelligence Agencies: Azhar Is in Pakistan

Indian intelligence officials assert that Masood Azhar has never left Pakistani soil. An Intelligence Bureau official said their tracking 'clearly reveals that he is very much in Pakistan.' According to the official, during Operation Sindoor — launched last year — Azhar was in Bahawalpur, but not at the JeM headquarters that was struck. He was subsequently moved to the Combined Military Hospital in Rawalpindi, where he has been treated periodically for chronic renal failure.

A second official noted that Azhar has been relocated multiple times since Operation Sindoor. 'He is never kept in one place for long due to security reasons,' the official said, adding that a mysterious explosion at the Rawalpindi hospital facility left him with minor injuries at some point during this period. He has reportedly not returned to Bahawalpur and has instead been shifted between at least three or four locations.

Nawabshah, Skardu, and Rawalpindi: The Shifting Safe Houses

According to Indian intelligence tracking, Azhar is frequently housed at a facility in Nawabshah City in Sindh Province. He also reportedly has a safe house in Skardu, located in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). However, officials indicate that sustained protests in the PoK region prompted a change in strategy, leading Pakistani handlers to move Azhar away from that area. He is currently believed to be shifted between Nawabshah and Rawalpindi, according to officials.

Notably, the instability in PoK has also led the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to pause recruitment drives in the region, with focus redirected toward other parts of Pakistan to enlist youth into terror outfits such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.

The FATF Angle: Performance Over Action

Pakistan observers and security analysts argue that the enhanced bounty is primarily a performance for the FATF rather than a genuine enforcement move. Pakistan faces critical FATF evaluations scheduled between 26 and 30 October in Paris, and Islamabad is reportedly keen to project the impression that Azhar is outside its jurisdiction until those sessions conclude.

This is not the first time the FIA has announced a bounty on Azhar. A PKR 50 lakh bounty was declared in 2021, at which time Pakistan similarly claimed he was not on its soil. Analysts note that little changed for Azhar or JeM following that announcement. Critics argue the pattern suggests the bounties are choreographed for international audiences rather than reflecting a genuine shift in operational posture.

JeM's Evolving Tactics and Azhar's Continued Role

Despite his physical concealment, Azhar has reportedly remained operationally active. He has issued multiple audio clips urging JeM cadres and potential recruits to 'remain brave and fight valiantly' against Indian forces in Jammu and Kashmir, according to officials. The ISI has, however, recently asked him to halt such communications — at least temporarily — to maintain the fiction of distance from Pakistani state structures.

Under Azhar's oversight, JeM has adapted its tactics in Jammu and Kashmir, transitioning toward hybrid warfare and establishing proxy fronts. To evade FATF scrutiny, the outfit has operated under the banner of the People's Anti Fascist Front (PAFF), which has claimed responsibility for deadly ambushes on Indian security forces in the forested areas of Poonch and Rajouri.

Officials say the ISI cannot afford to lose Azhar, especially with JeM on a 'rebuilding spree.' As FATF pressure mounts and the Paris sessions draw closer, all indicators point to Pakistan maintaining the status quo — keeping Azhar safe, mobile, and strategically deniable.