The rapid turnaround in ties between Islamabad and Dhaka in the last 6 months has sent alarm bells ringing in New Delhi as it closely watches the increasing threats to regional stability in a post-Hasina Bangladesh.
Coming on the heels of the growing public discontent over rising inflation and economic crises in both the South Asian nations of Pakistan and Bangladesh, is the recent, quiet visit of Pakistani spy agency ISI to Dhaka.
In a major development, the chief of ISI, Lt General Asim Malik, landed in Bangladesh’s national capital last week, reportedly to boost the intelligence-sharing network between the two nations. However, according to intelligence sources, the meeting discussed a proposal for “Mission North-East”, which targets unrest in India’s northeastern region.
The meeting was reportedly also attended by ISI’s director general of analysis Maj Gen Shahid Amir Afsar, who earlier served as a defence attaché to Beijing, and is said to be very close to Chinese authorities.
ULFA in focus
Last year, the interim government of Bangladesh led by Nobel Peace Laureate Mohamad Yunus, granted relief to Paresh Baruah, the dreaded military commander of banned terror outfit United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA). Baruah was sentenced to death in Bangladesh in connection with a high-profile arms smuggling case dating back to 2004.
Baruah, an Indian separatist militant, is believed to be a fugitive in China’s Yunnan Province, who heads the ULFA (Independent or I) faction from there.
The ISI delegation reportedly met with Baruah in Dhaka during their four-day visit. This has raised eyebrows in India, who released a statement, saying “it was keeping a close watch on developments in the neighbourhood having a bearing on national security”.
The statement was made by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. “We keep an eye on all activities around the country and in the region, as well as all activities affecting national security, and the government will take appropriate steps,” Jaiswal said in a weekly media briefing.
According to Bangladesh experts in India, ISI last made a public visit to Dhaka in 2009. That year, ULFA militants had gone on record to accept strong links with ISI in their anti-India activities. Mrinal Hazarika, former chief of ULFA’s 28th battalion, who surrendered to Indian security forces in 2009 along with 150 cadres, admitted at a press conference that “without the support of ISI, DGFI, and other militant organisations, it wasn’t possible to have bases and training camps in Bangladesh.
Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who had to flee Bangladesh following violent unrest in August 2024, had been instrumental in helping India curb extremism in the North East, as well as help keep South Asia stable. India and Bangladesh took giant strides in three areas, transferring wanted criminals and counterterrorism, disrupting arms supply, and land border management.
Between 2009-15, Bangladesh also transferred several senior ULFA leaders to India, including ULFA general secretary Anup Chetia, chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, foreign secretary Sashadhar Choudhury, finance secretary Chitraban Hazarika, and deputy chief of military operations Raju Barua.
In 2023, when India signed a peace accord with ULFA, the latter accepted that it was largely due to the actions and crackdown by the Hasina government.
Now intelligence inputs say several activities are being planned by the ISI in India’s Northeast, which will have a strong bearing on India’s national and regional security. The Pakistani team was reportedly in Bangladesh’s Rangpur district, which is close to India’s “Chicken Neck”, a narrow land corridor that connects India’s northeast with the rest of the country. Rangpur district is just 130km from Siliguri, an important Indian military hub.
According to an earlier chargesheet by NIA, the National Investigation Agency of India, ULFA (I) is headed by Dr Abhizeet Asom, who lives in the UK. In 2022, a UK court had cleared him of terror charges denying India its request to extradite him. Asom, a doctor by profession, was sought by the NIA for being a self-styled chief of ULFA (I).
Last year too, the NIA arrested key ULFA (I) operative Jahnu Barua, in connection to planning IEDs in Independence Day celebrations in Assam, after a call by ULFA (I) commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah.
These developments, followed by Pakistan’s rapid involvement in Yunus’ interim government till the time elections are held to put a legitimate government in place, are proving disastrous for India as it remains strongly concerned over geopolitical stability in South Asia.