India’s Masood Azhar reward criticism took centre stage at the United Nations after New Delhi used its Right of Reply to accuse Pakistan of attempting to obscure its alleged support for terrorism through public messaging. India argued that fighting terrorism requires action against perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors rather than declarations alone.
India’s First Secretary at the Permanent Mission to the UN, Raghoo Puri, made the remarks during a Sixth Committee discussion on measures to eliminate international terrorism.
India Questions Pakistan’s Reward Announcement
Puri criticised Pakistan’s announcement of a 7 million Pakistani rupee reward for information leading to the capture of Masood Azhar, the UN-listed head of Jaish-e-Mohammed.
According to India’s statement, the reward announcement was inconsistent with Pakistan’s claims about combating terrorism. Puri also pointed to earlier statements by Pakistani representatives describing Jaish-e-Mohammed as a defunct organisation.
India has repeatedly accused Pakistan of sheltering Azhar, while Islamabad has maintained that he fled to Afghanistan. The Taliban government has rejected claims that Azhar is currently in Afghanistan, according to the source material.
Puri questioned Pakistan’s position, arguing that if media reports can reach Azhar and obtain statements from him, Pakistani authorities should know his whereabouts.
India Recalls Major Terror Attacks
During the intervention, India referred to the September 11 attacks in the United States, the 2008 Mumbai attacks and the 2025 Pahalgam attack.
Puri said India had not forgotten the victims of these attacks and argued that terrorism must be addressed through accountability.
He also referred to remarks by Pakistan Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, who had said the province faced a greater threat from neighbouring provinces than neighbouring countries. India cited the statement while arguing that terrorism remains an internal and regional security concern for Pakistan as well.
India also accused Pakistan of continuing what it described as misinformation and disinformation surrounding terrorism.
FATF Pressure Adds to the Debate
Pakistan’s latest reward announcement comes as the country faces scrutiny over its efforts against terror financing. The Financial Action Task Force is scheduled to review Pakistan’s anti-money-laundering and counter-terror-financing measures.
Pakistan was placed on the FATF grey list in 2018 and remained there until 2022 over deficiencies related to money laundering and terror financing.
India used its UN intervention to argue that international commitments should be judged by concrete action against terrorist organisations and their leadership.
New Delhi maintained that accountability for terrorism cannot be replaced by diplomatic statements or competing narratives, while Pakistan continues to reject India’s allegations.
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