Pakistan’s ISI using Bangladesh as hidden launchpad for cross-border terrorism: Report
On December 11, New Delhi, LatestNewsX reported that Pakistani‑backed terrorist groups—most notably Lashkar‑e‑Taiba (LeT) and Jaish‑e‑Muhammad (JeM)—are renewing their presence in India’s northeastern provinces and West Bengal. They’re leaning heavily on Bangladesh’s transit corridors and logistical bases as key support points.
“Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, Editor of the Bangladeshi newspaper ‘Blitz’, wrote for the Usanas Foundation thinktank,” the story added. “Pakistan’s Inter‑Services Intelligence (ISI) is once again playing with fire— and dangerously close to Bangladesh’s borders. A massive madrasa near Dhaka, previously flagged by security agencies as a breeding ground for radicalisation, has abruptly shut down its entire operations, with senior members disappearing overnight,” he said.
“This shock closure came immediately after the arrest of several medical practitioners from Faridabad‑based Al Falah University, as well as the detention of Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui, the powerful chairman of the Al Falah group, in connection with the recent Delhi blast,” Choudhury added.
Drawing on Bangladeshi law‑enforcement intelligence, the report noted that the Dhaka madrasa had long maintained “communication channels” with a number of religious charities and private donors tied to the Gulf region and Pakistan. Yet, despite years of suspicion, no definitive investigation had been launched.
“A madrasa does not vanish overnight unless someone is trying to erase the trail. The timing of this shutdown—coming immediately after the arrest of Al Falah University‑linked individuals in India for the Delhi blast— is too precise to be dismissed as a coincidence. Someone tipped them off. Someone warned them that investigators were getting too close. That ‘someone’, many counter‑terrorism experts believe, is linked to the same ISI‑backed ecosystem that has historically used Bangladesh as a playground for destabilisation,” the analysis said.
The report argued that since last year’s so‑called “Jihadist Coup,” global media have largely underestimated how aggressively ISI and its proxies—Lashkar‑e‑Taiba and Jaish‑e‑Mohammad—are attempting to restore their operational routes through Bangladesh. It called for a stark, uncompromising assessment of the situation.
It emphasized that Bangladesh must not allow the ISI to transform its territory into a covert launchpad for cross‑border terrorism.
“If it happens once, it will happen again. If one madrasa can be used, more will follow. If one militant team enters quietly, others will arrive with greater sophistication and deeper alliances. This is why the madrasa shutdown must be treated as a national security emergency—not a minor curiosity,” they stressed.
The report urged the Bangladeshi political establishment to abandon its habit of downplaying clear warning signs.
“ISI thrives where governments hesitate. It flourishes where bureaucracy fears confrontation. And it embeds itself wherever it senses political distraction,” the analysts noted.
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