A second covert visit by a 10-member team of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to Bangladesh in February has prompted the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to issue a high-alert directive for law enforcement agencies in Tripura.
The intelligence inputs, detailing the ISI’s presence in Chittagong, have raised concerns over possible subversive activities in India’s northeastern states.
According to an Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer, the ISI team arrived at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport via Dubai in early February and proceeded directly to Chittagong. They remained stationed there for a week before leaving discreetly. This visit, the second in a month, was closely monitored by Indian intelligence operatives based in Bangladesh, who subsequently alerted the MHA.
Tightened security along Indo-Bangladesh border
Following the MHA’s alert, security measures along the India-Bangladesh border, particularly in Tripura, have been significantly bolstered. The Tripura State Rifles (TSR), a paramilitary force specialising in counter-insurgency, has deployed personnel in plain clothes to monitor border activity.
Simultaneously, the Border Security Force (BSF) has intensified motorcycle patrols along the largely unfenced stretches of the frontier.
ISI’s growing interest in Bangladesh
The latest ISI visit follows an earlier secretive four-day trip to Bangladesh in late January, led by ISI chief Asim Malik. The delegation included ISI’s Director General of Analysis, Major General Shahid Amir Afsar, a former Pakistani defense attaché in Beijing.
This marked the first such visit by ISI officials to Bangladesh since 1990, drawing significant attention from Indian intelligence agencies. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has acknowledged the developments, stating that India is keeping a close watch on ISI’s activities in the region.
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ISI’s historical presence in Tripura
The intelligence community remains particularly concerned about the ISI’s presence in Chittagong, given its past links to subversive activities in Tripura. The state, which shares an extensive and largely unfenced border with Bangladesh, has witnessed ISI-backed infiltration attempts in the past.
In 2010, security agencies arrested a Pakistani national and ISI operative, Munir Khan alias Omar Asfar, in Agartala. Within days of his arrest, 13 individuals suspected of being part of his network were apprehended from different Indo-Bangladesh border locations in West Tripura.
Munir, a native of Bahawalpur in Pakistan—the hometown of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) founder Masood Azhar—was reportedly on his way to Amritsar to gather intelligence on the Indian Army.
His interrogation revealed that he had been actively recruiting operatives in India’s northeastern states and was tasked with sending sensitive information to ISI headquarters. Additionally, he was involved in smuggling counterfeit Indian currency.
Kolkata police had previously linked Munir to two men caught with fake notes worth ₹30 lakh near Esplanade’s Babughat area.
Following his arrest, Munir was interrogated by law enforcement agencies in Punjab, West Bengal, Assam, and Tripura. He remains in jail to date.
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Growing regional security concerns
Given the ISI’s history in the region and its renewed interest in Bangladesh, Indian intelligence agencies remain on high alert. The recurring visits of ISI officials to Bangladesh, particularly their prolonged stay in Chittagong, raise concerns over potential security threats to India’s northeastern states.
The MHA is expected to continue monitoring the situation closely, with heightened surveillance and intelligence operations along the Indo-Bangladesh border.
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