Amid escalating hostilities on India’s western front following the horrific Pahalgam massacre and New Delhi’s calculated retaliatory strikes, a deeply troubling development has emerged on the eastern flank. In a chilling display of extremism, flags of the Islamic State (ISIS)—a globally proscribed terror organisation—were brazenly unfurled during a public demonstration in Dhaka’s Shahbag, igniting serious alarm within Indian intelligence and security establishments.
The protestors not only showcased ISIS flags—known for symbolising an ideology of unspeakable brutality—but also raised provocative slogans in Urdu, Pakistan’s national language, in a nation whose identity and history are intrinsically tied to the Bengali language, for which countless lives were sacrificed during the 1971 Liberation War. The protest was organised demanding a ban on the Awami League’s involvement in Bangladeshi politics.
Video footage from the scene revealed at least five white ISIS flags inscribed with black Arabic script, waving prominently alongside placards written in Bengali. The juxtaposition of Urdu slogans and ISIS iconography has raised eyebrows within India’s security agencies, given the broader regional context.
“This development is of the highest level of concern, especially in light of India’s ongoing war-like situation on both northern and eastern fronts,” said a senior official from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), adding, “Bangladesh’s geographical and strategic proximity, coupled with its recent re-engagement with Pakistan’s notorious intelligence agency ISI, has placed the entire region under an ominous shadow. We are monitoring these developments with utmost vigilance and recalibrating our strategic posture accordingly.”
Sources within Bangladeshi intelligence and law enforcement confirmed awareness of the public display of ISIS flags.
Disturbingly, an official from the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) admitted, “Despite ISIS being a globally banned terrorist entity, no official directive was issued to intercept or take legal action against the demonstrators.”
The recent shift in Bangladesh’s political leadership, following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August last year, appears to have emboldened radical Islamist elements. Hasina, known for her firm stance against extremism and her crackdown on terror modules, had long served as a bulwark against the infiltration of global jihadist ideologies.
In January, a viral 20-second video showed a burqa-clad woman skating through a crowded street in Dhaka, an ISIS flag fluttering in her hand—symbolising a shocking normalisation of extremist symbols in public spaces. Indian intelligence analysts have since flagged this as incontrovertible evidence of radicalisation creeping into the heart of India’s eastern neighbour.
Sources in the Bangladesh intelligence agencies said that known for its violent ideology that calls itself a caliphate, the ISIS’s presence surfaced prominently in Bangladesh in 2016, following the Holy Artisan Bakery attack, in which attackers claiming allegiance to ISIS killed 20 people, including one US citizen.
Adding to these concerns, top Indian agencies have unearthed details of clandestine visits by ISI operatives to Bangladesh post-Hasina’s exit. The first covert mission, led by ISI chief Lt. General Asim Mallik in a flight originating from Dubai, reportedly included reconnaissance operations in sensitive regions like Cox’s Bazar—home to one of the world’s largest refugee populations and a known hub for extremist activity.
Bangladesh-based journalist Sahidul Hasan Khokon said that flattering ISIS flags and shouting Urdu slogans at a rally in Dhaka demanding a ban on the Awami League was an incident that signals a dangerous ideological shift.
“If spontaneous, it reflects the creeping influence of extremist thought; if planned, it poses a direct threat to national security. While protest is part of Bangladesh’s political culture, invoking the symbols of a foreign terror group raises serious questions—who is behind this, and whose agenda is being pushed? ISIS’s presence in a Bangladeshi protest is not just political—it’s cultural and religious provocation. The use of Urdu, especially given its association with Pakistan and the 1952 Language Movement, adds deeper historical insult. Calling the Awami League ‘infidel’ in Urdu is not just opposition—it’s an attack on the spirit of Bangladesh’s independence,” he said.
Dangerous nexus: LeT, ISIS and Bangladesh’s interim government
Perhaps the most damning revelation yet is the emerging nexus between key functionaries of Bangladesh’s interim government and known terror outfits. Shortly after India traced the barbaric Pahalgam massacre to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its proxy, The Resistance Front (TRF), a controversial meeting took place in Dhaka.
According to Bangladesh military intelligence sources, the interim government’s legal advisor, Dr. Asif Nazrul, met with Harun Izhar, LeT’s Bangladesh module chief and a known jihadist mastermind. The meeting allegedly took place within the Ministry of Law premises, raising grave questions about the current regime’s willingness to rein in extremist elements.
Izhar, with a long and violent track record, is infamous for orchestrating multiple terror plots, including the aborted 2009 bombing attempt on the Indian High Commission in Dhaka. His continued presence and interactions with top Bangladeshi officials signify a dangerous alignment between state functionaries and global jihadist networks.
Notably, the interim government of Bangladesh has remained conspicuously silent on India’s retaliatory strikes against Pakistan, a silence widely interpreted as a deliberate attempt to avoid antagonising Islamabad. Analysts find this lack of condemnation has raised suspicions within strategic circles, with many viewing it as tacit approval of the rise of Islamic extremism in the region.
The convergence of ISIS symbolism, ISI infiltration, and overt links between Bangladeshi state actors and terror operatives presents a perilous scenario for Indian security planners. As tensions with Pakistan remain white-hot, this parallel threat on the eastern flank could open a volatile two-front vulnerability for India.
Indian defence and intelligence agencies are reportedly formulating contingency plans in light of these developments, while diplomatic channels remain engaged in evaluating the broader ramifications of Bangladesh’s apparent strategic pivot.
As regional dynamics grow increasingly volatile, the unfolding events in Dhaka serve as a sobering reminder: the battle against terror is no longer confined to the borders of Kashmir—it is metastasising across the subcontinent, in plain sight.
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