In what intelligence officials describe as a troubling sign of deepening defence and intelligence ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh, Islamabad has quietly established a special Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) cell within its High Commission in Dhaka, according to top intelligence sources quoted by CNN-News18.
The development comes amid a rapid expansion of military cooperation between the two countries since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government in 2024, signalling a potential strategic realignment in South Asia that could directly challenge India’s security interests. Sources told CNN-News18 that the move formalises a growing pattern of collaboration between Pakistan’s spy agency and Bangladesh’s military establishment under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim regime.
Pakistan’s ISI cell in Dhaka: What we know
According to CNN-News18, the ISI cell was established following a four-day visit by Pakistan’s Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, to Dhaka. During his visit, Mirza met Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus and the chiefs of Bangladesh’s army, navy, and air force.
Sources cited by CNN-News18 said the Pakistani general led an eight-member delegation that included senior ISI officers—among them a Major General—as well as representatives from the Pakistan Air Force and Navy. The delegation reportedly held several rounds of meetings with top officials from Bangladesh’s National Security Intelligence (NSI) and the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI).
Both sides are said to have agreed to create a joint intelligence-sharing mechanism focused on monitoring the Bay of Bengal and the airspace along India’s eastern border. Under this arrangement, Bangladesh has reportedly permitted Pakistan to station multiple intelligence personnel at its High Commission in Dhaka.
CNN-News18 sources said the first phase of this deployment would include one Brigadier, two Colonels, four Majors, and several support officers from Pakistan’s armed forces.
Pakistan’s expanding defence footprint in Bangladesh
In return for access and cooperation, Pakistan has reportedly offered Bangladesh extensive military and technical support. This includes joint training programmes, supply of infantry and artillery systems, and plans for combined naval and air exercises.
According to CNN-News18, Dhaka has expressed interest in acquiring Pakistan’s JF-17 Thunder fighter jets and Fatah-series rocket systems. A high-level Bangladeshi military delegation is expected to visit Rawalpindi in the coming weeks to finalise several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and defence procurement deals that were discussed during General Mirza’s visit.
This development marks a significant upgrade in the two countries’ defence engagement, with both sides viewing it as a “new phase of cooperation,” according to Pakistani diplomatic sources cited by CNN-News18.
Why this should worry India
The creation of an ISI cell inside Bangladesh’s capital is an alarming development for New Delhi. The presence of Pakistani intelligence officers so close to India’s vulnerable eastern flank raises fears of espionage, subversion, and renewed terror financing through cross-border networks.
Analysts say the intelligence-sharing pact could provide Islamabad a strategic foothold in the Bay of Bengal region, giving it access to maritime and air surveillance data that could undermine India’s security architecture in the east. The collaboration also risks destabilising the region by allowing Pakistan to use Bangladeshi territory for intelligence operations under diplomatic cover.
For India, which has long regarded Sheikh Hasina’s tenure as a bulwark against extremist elements, the current shift under Muhammad Yunus’s interim administration marks a serious reversal.
A strategic realignment post-Hasina
Since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, Pakistan has been quick to court the new leadership in Dhaka. Islamabad was one of the first to welcome the Yunus-led interim government, expressing solidarity with “the people of Bangladesh.”
In the months that followed, both countries signed agreements on visa-free diplomatic travel, trade facilitation, defence cooperation, and enhanced sea and air connectivity. Senior Pakistani officials, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, have met Yunus multiple times, both in Dhaka and during global summits.
The growing military exchanges, red-carpet visits, and now the establishment of an ISI unit in Dhaka signal how Pakistan is reasserting influence in Bangladesh. For India, this partnership represents not just a diplomatic concern but a tangible security threat emerging on its eastern borders.
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