A recent visit by a four-member delegation from Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to Dhaka has raised eyebrows in New Delhi, marking a significant shift in military relations between Bangladesh and Pakistan.
The delegation, which includes Major General Shahid Amir Afsar, the ISI’s Director General of Analysis, is in Bangladesh for a four-day visit. This marks a notable uptick in engagement between the two nations’ military establishments, a move that could cause concerns for India.
Major General Afsar, who previously held the position of Pakistan’s Defence Attaché in Beijing, is part of this high-level team. Sources familiar with the visit, who preferred to remain anonymous, indicate that it comes amidst an apparent warming of relations between Bangladesh and Pakistan.
The ISI team’s arrival in Dhaka follows closely on the heels of a visit from a six-member Bangladeshi delegation to Pakistan, led by Lt. Gen. SM Kamrul Hasan, who serves as the Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division.
The Bangladeshi delegation’s visit, which took place between January 13 and 18, saw them meet with Pakistan's top military leaders, including General Asim Munir, the army chief in Rawalpindi.
This development marks a significant shift in Bangladesh-Pakistan military ties, which have been notably cold in recent years. In fact, the last publicly acknowledged visit of a senior ISI official to Dhaka took place in 2009, during which Pakistan’s intelligence agency assisted Bangladesh authorities in addressing a revolt in the Bangladesh Rifles, a paramilitary force.
However, official circles in New Delhi have long been wary of any close interactions between Bangladesh and Pakistan’s intelligence agencies, particularly due to the role the ISI played in supporting militant groups operating in India’s northeastern states during the 1990s and 2000s.
Under the leadership of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the relationship between the ISI and Bangladeshi organisations, particularly the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), had remained largely dormant.
Sheikh Hasina’s government had also taken a tough stance against those accused of collaborating with Pakistan during Bangladesh’s 1971 War of Liberation, which strained relations further.
However, the recent developments suggest a thaw in the relationship between Dhaka and Islamabad, which could have broader implications for the region.
The arrival of the Pakistani delegation on January 21 has raised further questions, particularly after reports that a member of the ISI team bore a name strikingly similar to that of the ISI chief, Lt. Gen. Asim Malik.
This has led to speculation that Pakistan’s top intelligence official might be in Dhaka, though this has not been officially confirmed.
In the backdrop of this growing military engagement between Bangladesh and Pakistan, Indian officials are likely to monitor the developments closely.
The shift in relations between Dhaka and Islamabad is particularly sensitive for India, given the historical context of tensions between the two neighbouring countries.
India has long viewed Pakistan’s involvement in supporting insurgent activities within its northeastern states as a destabilising factor, and any renewed collaboration between Pakistan and Bangladesh’s intelligence services could raise alarm bells in New Delhi.
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