A six-member delegation from Bangladesh’s Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) travelled to Islamabad on 15 August 2026, deepening contacts with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) amid fragile domestic situations in both countries.

The visit signals growing intelligence-level cooperation between Dhaka and Islamabad, raising concerns in New Delhi about two weakened neighbours finding common cause on India’s eastern and western flanks.

The DGFI team was led by Colonel Magfuz-ul-Bari and included Wing Commander Imrul Kais, Mohiuddin Mohammad Asif, Squadron Leader Raihan Mohammad Chowdhury, Murad Hossain Tushar and Khandokar Ariful Islam.

They flew from Dhaka via Bangkok to Islamabad, where they reportedly held meetings with senior ISI officials and Pakistan Army officers. The purpose of the discussions has not been disclosed, but the timing is politically significant.

This visit follows DGFI Director General Major General Qaiser Rashid Chowdhury’s trip to Islamabad in April 2026, barely a month after he assumed charge of the agency. That trip included meetings with Pakistan’s military leadership and ISI counterparts.

It also came soon after his March 2026 visit to New Delhi, highlighting Dhaka’s balancing act between India and Pakistan. Reports indicate that DGFI delegations have travelled to Pakistan multiple times since Sheikh Hasina’s ouster in August 2024, underscoring the steady expansion of Pakistan’s intelligence footprint in Bangladesh.

The fall of Hasina’s government dramatically altered Dhaka’s external alignments. While ties with India became strained, Pakistan moved quickly to expand political, military and intelligence contacts. 

Analysts note that the ISI has embedded itself deeply in Bangladesh’s security establishment, exploiting the strategic space created by closer ties with Beijing and Islamabad.

Former Indian ambassador Anil Trigunayat has warned that Bangladesh’s renewed engagement with Pakistan must be viewed through this lens, as it could be aimed at gaining leverage over India.

The visit comes at a time when both governments face domestic pressures. Pakistan is struggling with an insurgency in Balochistan and unrest in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, while Bangladesh’s interim government remains unstable, only months removed from the upheaval that toppled Hasina. Against this backdrop, two weakened states are drawing closer on security cooperation, a development that India cannot ignore.

The diplomatic context adds further complexity. Bangladesh has yet to respond to India’s invitation for Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to attend the BRICS summit in September, despite not being a member of the grouping.

Dhaka’s hesitation has raised questions about its strategic orientation. Meanwhile, stalled talks on JF-17 fighter aircraft cooperation between Bangladesh and Pakistan remain unresolved, but the intelligence-level contacts suggest that military engagement is continuing in other forms.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs has reiterated its desire for constructive relations with Bangladesh based on reciprocity and mutual interests.

However, the growing DGFI-ISI engagement, coupled with Dhaka’s ambiguous stance on Hasina’s extradition and Rahman’s India visit, signals that Bangladesh is recalibrating its options. For New Delhi, the convergence of Pakistan and Bangladesh’s security interests on either flank represents a strategic challenge that requires close monitoring.

Agencies