Overview

Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is reportedly expanding its operations in Bangladesh to strengthen surveillance and intelligence-gathering against India’s eastern and northeastern states and the Bay of Bengal maritime corridor.

According to credible reports by The Economic Times and Moneycontrol, the ISI has begun deepening its
presence in Dhaka by establishing a special intelligence coordination cell at the Pakistan High Commission in Bangladesh. This marks one of ISI’s most significant strategic outreach efforts in South Asia in recent years.

Reported Developments

• A Pakistani military delegation led by General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Chairman of Pakistan’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, recently visited Dhaka.
• During the visit, high-level meetings were reportedly held between the delegation and Bangladesh’s security agencies, including the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) and National Security Intelligence(NSI)
• Reports suggest discussions revolved around a joint intelligence-sharing mechanism, primarily targeting India’s northeastern region and Bay of Bengal maritime surveillance.
• According to unnamed intelligence officials cited by Moneycontrol, Pakistan has offered military and
  technical cooperation to Bangladesh in return for expanded diplomatic and operational access.
• The alleged ISI cell within the Pakistani mission in Dhaka is believed to be responsible for coordination, data analysis, and HUMINT (human intelligence) operations along India’s eastern frontier.

 

Strategic Context

A. Geographic Importance

• Bangladesh’s location is crucial — it borders India’s vulnerable northeastern states (Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh).
• It sits adjacent to the Siliguri Corridor (Chicken’s Neck), India’s only narrow land link to the northeast, making the region extremely sensitive to external intelligence activity.
• The Bay of Bengal is a vital maritime space for India, housing naval installations, trade routes, and undersea communication cables that connect South and Southeast Asia.

 

B . Regional Significance

• The Bay of Bengal is increasingly becoming a strategic competition zone among India, China, and other powers.
• Any new intelligence or military presence by Pakistan in this area could provide Islamabad and its allies a window into India’s naval and air operations, including the Andaman & Nicobar Command.

 

Possible ISI Objectives

1. Surveillance and Espionage

• Monitor Indian troop and intelligence activity in northeastern India and the Bay region.
• Collect information on Indian naval deployments and satellite communication channels.

 

2. Rekindling Insurgent Networks;

• Historically, ISI has used Bangladesh and Myanmar corridors to support insurgent movements in India’s northeast. Renewing these channels would allow proxy operations or information sharing.

3.Strategic Maritime Monitoring

• Use Bangladeshi ports or facilities to track maritime traffic, logistics patterns, and undersea cable routes in the Bay of Bengal

 

4. Influence Operations;

• Attempt to sway sections of Bangladesh’s political and security establishment, or media, to shift Dhaka’s policy stance on India and its maritime activities.

 

5.Military-Technical Cooperation:

• Pakistan may offer intelligence technology, training, and cyber capabilities in exchange for operational access or political leverage in Banaladesh.

 

Why It Matters for India

 

Eastern & Northeastern Security Risk:

• Enhanced ISI operations could threaten India’s northeastern stability, potentially reviving insurgency
  linkages or information leaks across borders.

Maritime Vulnerability:

• ISI presence near the Bay may allow Pakistan (and possibly China, via triangulation) to monitor India’s naval and commercial movements, compromising strategic secrecy.

Diplomatic Concerns

• A deepening ISI-DGFI relationship could erode India-Bangladesh trust, especially after years of close counter-terrorism cooperation under the Hasina government.

Regional Balance Shift:

• Pakistan’s entry into Bay of Bengal intelligence affairs could complicate India’s outreach through BIMSTEC and the Act East Policy, which rely on Dhaka’s partnership.

 

Intelligence and Diplomatic Routes Used

Method                                                                                                                  Explanation
Diplomatic Cover                                                        ISI officers reportedly stationed under the Pakistani High Commission in Dhaka.
Military Liaison                                                              Visits and joint training exercises to open communication channels with DGFI.
SIGINT Access                                                                      Possible cooperation for shared radar or maritime surveillance systems.
HUMINT Networks                                                                    Reviving contact with local agents and sympathetic political entities
Cyber/Tech Intelligence                                           Offer of software or data-exchange frameworks for mutual “security cooperation.”

Credibility,and Caveats

High Plausibility:

• Given Pakistan’s historic focus on India and its prior activities in Bangladesh, the expansion is strategically logical and plausible.

Limited Confirmation:

• These reports rely on unnamed intelligence sources; official confirmation from Dhaka or Islamabad remains unavailable.

Sensitive Timing

• The development reportedly follows political shifts in Bangladesh and the exit of Sheikh Hasina, creating an opening for new alignments.

Possible Exaggeration:

• Without declassified evidence or public statements, some elements (e.g,, size of ISI cell, operational scope) remain speculative.

 

India’s Likely Response

1. Strengthened Border Intelligence:

• Enhance counter-intelligence operations in Assam, Tripura, and Mizoram.

2. Maritime Domain Awareness:

• Intensify naval surveillance in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman region.

3.Diplomatic Outreach:

• Engage Bangladesh at the highest levels to reaffirm bilateral trust.

4. Regional Cooperation:

• Bolster BIMSTEC, QUAD, and ASEAN maritime partnerships.

5. Cyber and SIGINT Upgrades:

• Boost signal interception and maritime tracking to detect hostile networks.