How Yunus’s Regime Rekindled Pakistan’s Covert Operations in Bangladesh Against India
How Yunus’s Regime Rekindled Pakistan’s Covert Operations in Bangladesh Against India
Introduction
The Muhammad Yunus regime has significantly rekindled Pakistan’s covert operations in Bangladesh, posing a serious threat to India’s northeastern security. Since 2024, Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has reestablished a formal presence in Dhaka, with military and intelligence personnel operating under diplomatic cover. This resurgence is backed by expanded military cooperation and intelligence sharing between Bangladesh and Pakistan. Critical policy changes by Yunus’s government, such as exempting Pakistani shipments from customs inspections and easing entry restrictions for Pakistani nationals, created loopholes exploited by ISI for drug smuggling, arms trafficking and supporting extremist networks. Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives, under leaders like Hafiz Saeed, are reportedly using Bangladesh as a new launching ground for attacks against India. These developments reflect a disturbing shift as Bangladesh moves away from its historically India-friendly stance, becoming a satellite for Pakistan’s strategic designs against India’s eastern borders, severely destabilising regional security and cooperation frameworks.
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Geopolitical Realignment Under the Yunus Regime
Since assuming power in August 2024, the Muhammad Yunus government in Bangladesh has shifted its foreign policy orientation, drifting away from its historically India-friendly stance towards a strategic alignment with Pakistan and China. This new axis is perceived as a concerted attempt to challenge India’s regional dominance, especially in its vulnerable northeastern states. Analysts highlight that Dhaka’s increasing cooperation with Islamabad and Beijing is reshaping South Asia’s security dynamics.
China’s expanding infrastructure projects in Bangladesh, such as the Padma Bridge Rail Link and Payra Port development, serve both economic and strategic purposes, reportedly facilitating greater Chinese military and economic influence that indirectly supports the Bangladesh-Pakistan agenda. Pakistan under the Yunus regime has intensified its military posture with Chinese-supplied equipment, further emboldening its regional ambitions against India. Major General (Retd) ALM Fazlur Rahman, a retired Bangladeshi officer linked to Yunus, publicly advocated for cooperation with China to "liberate" India's northeastern states in the event of a conflict, illustrating the regime’s aggressive rhetoric and military ambitions.
Pakistan’s Intelligence and Proxy Operations in Bangladesh
A key facet of the nexus is the revival of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) activities within Bangladesh. Unlike the Hasina government, which cracked down on Islamist militants and closely monitored foreign intelligence operations, the Yunus administration relaxed scrutiny over Pakistani movements and activities. This included a 2024 gazette notification allowing Pakistani cargo shipments to bypass inspection under the “National Selectivity Criteria,” and the removal of security clearances for Pakistani nationals entering Bangladesh. These policy changes created an unchecked corridor for smugglers, extremist operatives, and intelligence agents to operate with impunity.
Official confessions from Pakistani leaders, such as the admission by PML-N's Irshad Ahmed Khan of a campaign to "liberate Bangladesh from Indian influence" through drug and arms smuggling, lend strong credence to intelligence suspicions. This has evolved into a narco-terror nexus utilizing Bangladesh as a transit hub for narcotics, counterfeit currency, and extremist propaganda targeting Indian border regions, thereby destabilizing the region.
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Ideological and Communal Shifts Fuelling Instability
The Yunus government has overseen a surge in communal violence and attacks on minorities, particularly Hindus, with over 1,000 documented incidents since August 2024. The administration's tacit endorsement or failure to check such acts is viewed as aligning with Pakistan’s sectarian policies, fostering an environment conducive to radicalization and social unrest. Religious minorities like the Ahmadiyya Muslim community face heightened persecution, reflecting an ideological convergence with Islamabad's extremist outlook.
These developments have fuelled the anti-India narrative within Bangladesh that underpins proxy insurgencies and communal discord in the northeastern states, which have historically been sensitive to cross-border influences.
Economic Policies Supporting the Nexus
Yunus’s regime has simultaneously revamped economic relations with Pakistan, further integrating Bangladesh into the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) framework. The government granted Pakistani traders access to Karachi Port facilities and relaxed customs procedures to facilitate seamless trade and logistics. In contrast, India terminated critical transshipment facilities previously offered to Bangladesh in April 2025, interpreted as a reaction to Dhaka’s overt shift towards Islamabad.
This economic reorientation aids the nexus by providing logistical support for illicit cross-border movements, including weapons and narcotics, thereby sustaining proxy networks targeting Indian territory. The porous 4,096-kilometer India-Bangladesh border exacerbates these security threats, complicating India's efforts to counter infiltration and insurgent activities.
Implications for India and Northeast Security
The emerging Bangladesh-Pakistan nexus poses multifaceted challenges to Indian security, primarily in the northeast region, which remains vulnerable due to its complex terrain and demographic diversity. Increased infiltration of militants, facilitated by Bengali-speaking proxies and ISI networks operating from Bangladesh, threatens to reignite insurgencies and exacerbate communal tensions.
The nexus also strengthens China’s strategic encirclement of India by enabling a potential two-front pressure in the east, as China deepens its footprint in Bangladesh while Pakistan orchestrates proxy destabilization efforts. Indian security experts have flagged the growing nexus as a significant strategic threat, requiring heightened intelligence cooperation, vigilant border management and proactive diplomatic engagement to thwart attempts at destabilization.
Summary of Authentic Data and Official References:
- Over 1,000 attacks on minorities in Bangladesh since August 2024, reported by human rights monitors.
- Gazetted notification in September 2024 exempted Pakistani shipments from mandatory inspections (Official Bangladesh Customs Gazette).
- Removal of security clearance for Pakistani nationals in December 2024 (Bangladesh Ministry of Home Affairs notification).
- Public admission by Pakistani politician Irshad Ahmed Khan of ongoing efforts to destabilize Bangladesh from Indian influence (Zee News interview, December 2024).
- Official assessments highlighting ISI revival in Bangladesh and disruption efforts in India’s Northeast by Lt General AB Shivane and other Indian defense analysts (various defense white papers 2024-2025).
- Infrastructure projects backed by China such as Payra Port and Padma Rail Link facilitated by the Yunus government (government of Bangladesh official releases 2024-2025).
- End of Indian transshipment privileges for Bangladeshi exports as of April 2025 (Indian Ministry of Commerce).
Conclusion
The Bangladesh-Pakistan nexus under Muhammad Yunus's regime has resulted in a profound geopolitical and security realignment with severe implications. Since August 2024, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) established a formal cell within its Dhaka High Commission, backed by senior military delegations and intelligence exchanges, marking an unprecedented institutional bond aimed at joint monitoring of India’s eastern flank. The Yunus government facilitated this by allowing Pakistani cargo exemptions from customs inspections and removing security clearances for Pakistani nationals, creating an unchecked conduit for smuggling and extremist networks. Concurrently, China’s expanding infrastructure presence in Bangladesh supports this axis, indirectly enabling military and economic encirclement of India. The increased military cooperation includes arms acquisitions and joint exercises, emboldening Pakistan’s posture. Human rights reports show over 1,000 attacks on minorities, reflecting ideological convergence with Islamabad, while economic shifts favour Pakistan over India. This emerging nexus jeopardizes regional cooperation, threatens insurgencies in India’s Northeast and demands urgent strategic attention.
References:
https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2025/02/23/bangladesh-pakistan-thaw-and-a-regional-realignment/
https://usanasfoundation.com/isidawood-nexus-turns-bangladesh-into-a-narco-terror-state
https://dras.in/deciphering-bangladesh-turmoil-a-warning-for-india/
https://www.dw.com/en/how-bangladesh-pakistan-reconciliation-impacts-india/a-71189995