ISI expanding footprint in Bangladesh to monitor eastern-NE India, Bay of Bengal

New Delhi: Pakistan's Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) is expanding its network in Bangladesh, eyeing to monitor India's eastern and northeastern states, besides Bay of Bengal. Pakistan's military delegation, led by General Shamsad Mirza that recently visited Dhaka, reportedly comprised ISI officers who sought to expand the organisation's presence in India's eastern neighbourhood, ET has reliably learnt. It has been further learnt that the delegation held several rounds of meetings during the visit with top officials from Bangladesh's National Security Intelligence and the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence. A joint intelligence-sharing mechanism could be created focussing on monitoring India's northeastern states and Bay of Bengal area, claimed a Bangladesh watcher, who did not wish to be named. The ISI, between 2009-2024 under the Sheikh Hasina rule, found it difficult to operate out of the Bangladesh territory to target India even as it tried hard to back the BNP in some of the elections, sources recalled. The ISI allegedly played a pivotal role in plotting a plan led by the students and backed by BNP-Jamaat-e-Islami to remove Hasina from power in August 2024. Establishing ISI presence in strategic areas of Bangladesh in what would revive Pakistan Army's presence in the same areas from the pre-1971 days figured high on the agenda when the ISI top brass visited Dhaka this January, it may be recalled.

ET had then reported that ISI is seeking to establish its presence in Cox's Bazar, Ukhia, Teknaf, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, and Sherpur areas of Bangladesh. The visit by ISI's top brass had witnessed talks with amenable section of Bangladesh Army on expanding ISI's network along India's northeastern and eastern neighbourhood.