Islamabad, Nov 15 – What could happen if Pakistan’s secret‑service, the Inter‑Services Intelligence (ISI), pushes its drug‑trading network into Bangladesh? A new report warns that the move might shake up the whole South‑Asian region.
The ISI has long been accused of supporting drug rings that feed covert operations. If Bangladesh turns into a new hub—just like Pakistan’s Balochistan province—local peace could spiral out of control, and India, the Maldives, and others might feel the ripple.
The report, published in Eurasia Review, cites a recent visit by Pakistan’s top military commander, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, to Dhaka. Around the same time, customs officers at Chittagong port seized 25 tons of poppy seeds that had come from Pakistan. The shipment was smuggled in two containers, listed as bird feed, but it carried a banned drug.
Shane A. Warren, a security analyst, said the seizure is “no ordinary smuggling incident.” It shows a pattern of trouble. “Pakistan’s regular visits by military and religious figures to Bangladesh—and the sudden easing of customs checks—raise a lot of red flags,” Warren told reporters.
Last year, the new interim government in Bangladesh, led by Muhammad Yunus, scrapped the rule that required full inspections on all goods from Pakistan. Experts say the decision may have opened the door for corrupt officials to turn a blind eye.
The report also notes that Pakistani delegations have met senior leaders of the Jamaat party in Bangladesh. These meetings, often held at the party’s leader’s home, went beyond usual diplomatic etiquette. The Pakistani High Commissioner in Dhaka has even scheduled several “courtesy” talks with Jamaat members.
The two countries recently signed an agreement easing visa rules for diplomatic and official passports. On paper, it looks like good diplomacy, but critics suspect it serves deeper motives. “Given Pakistan’s history—once a sponsor of insurgencies in Bangladesh—this deal feels suspect,” said a security study.
Overall, the report says, Bangladesh might become a new front for Pakistan’s regional strategy: it could undermine India’s eastern borders, finance extremist groups through narcotics, and revive a soft‑but‑dangerous form of religious nationalism.
The threat is clear. If the smuggling networks grow, the South‑Asian region could face a new wave of instability. The report calls on governments to tighten inspections, monitor cross‑border ties, and keep a close eye on drug‑trafficking routes that cross from Pakistan into Bangladesh.
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