ISI threat from Dhaka? Fresh Pakistan, Bangladesh agreement raises worry for India

Source: X | @epwing_officia

In a move that will invite closer scrutiny from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh have finalised an agreement allowing visa-free entry for those holding diplomatic and official passports.

The decision, which signals a further thaw in bilateral ties, will enable Pakistani diplomats and officials to enter and operate in Bangladesh with less oversight.

The decision was taken during a recent meeting between Pakistan's interior minister Mohsin Naqvi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Lieutenant General (retired) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury in Dhaka.

According to a report in The Economic Times, the move will facilitate easier movement of ISI officers which can pose security threat along India's eastern and northeastern border.

The report said that an increased Pakistani presence in Dhaka could enable anti-India elements and Islamist groups to find more favourable ground, complicating security management along India’s borders.

Bangladesh has traditionally maintained close ties with India under former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. However, under the new regime led by Muhammed Yunus, the country is getting increasingly closer to Islamabad after years of historical hostility with Pakistan.

The warming of relations is being closely watched by New Delhi amid worries that a potential realignment in the region could reduce India’s diplomatic leverage in Dhaka.

The visa-free agreement between Pakistan and Bangladesh follows a series of high-level engagements between the two countries in recent months spanning both military and internal security domains.

In January, a senior Bangladeshi military delegation, led by Lt Gen SM Kamrul Hasan, visited Pakistan and met with top defence officials including Army Chief Asim Munir and Air Force Chief Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu. Discussions included regional security, joint exercises, training and defence trade.

That visit was followed by Pakistan’s ISI Director Shahid Amir Afsar's rare trip to Dhaka. The visit had raised red flags in Delhi.

Afsar's meetings with Bangladeshi intelligence counterparts were among the first such interactions in decades and aimed at enhancing military and intelligence cooperation.

Bangladesh also participated in Pakistan’s multinational naval exercise, Aman-25, in February. Its warship BNS Samudra Joy joined navies from 120 countries, including Sri Lanka, Myanmar and China — all neighbours of India.

At the same time, bilateral cooperation on internal security has also expanded. The recent Dhaka meeting between Naqvi and Chowdhury yielded agreements on counterterrorism, police training, anti-narcotics efforts and anti-human trafficking.

Pakistan has also invited Bangladeshi officials to visit its Safe City Project and the National Police Academy in Islamabad.