Report Warns Closer Bangladesh–Pakistan Ties Could Fuel Extremism, Regional Instability
Renewed defence engagement creates space for radical groups amid Dhaka’s political uncertainty
Pakistan, Dec 12 : A growing military and strategic convergence between Bangladesh and Pakistan could accelerate radicalisation and amplify existing security challenges in the region, according to a report cited by Mekong News Myanmar on Thursday.
The report warns that Bangladesh, already grappling with rising religious extremism and political volatility under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, faces heightened risks as Pakistani influence expands. It notes that transnational extremist organisations—including Pakistan-based Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)—are exploiting Bangladesh’s current security vacuum to spread radical ideologies and recruit youth.
Extremist groups leveraging renewed Dhaka–Islamabad engagement
The analysis finds that the revived relationship has created fertile ground for these groups to expand networks, propagate militant narratives and coordinate cross-border activities.
“The recent heightened military interactions between Bangladesh and Pakistan signal a significant yet concerning shift in South Asia’s strategic scenario,” the report states. With the August 2024 ouster of the Sheikh Hasina government, Bangladesh appears to be recalibrating its foreign and defence policy, gradually tilting toward Pakistan. This pivot, it says, raises serious questions about Dhaka’s strategic autonomy.
The report highlights intensified defence dialogues, high-level military visits and new partnerships that diverge sharply from Bangladesh’s traditionally India-focused security architecture. Adding to concerns is the rumoured visit of a Hafiz Saeed associate to the sensitive Indo-Bangladesh border, stirring further alarm over regional security implications.
India wary of destabilising strategic shift
According to the report, the deepening Dhaka–Islamabad engagement is raising concerns in New Delhi, where the Indian government views the developments as destabilising. India sees Pakistan’s involvement as an attempt to undermine the long-standing Indo-Bangladesh partnership and erode the region’s strategic stability.
A shift that could reshape South Asian security
The report emphasises that the renewed military ties go beyond routine defence diplomacy. They reflect shifting strategic currents with the potential to reshape regional security.
“While Bangladesh aims to diversify partnerships and assert an independent foreign policy post-Hasina, it risks becoming an unwitting instrument of Pakistan’s broader geopolitical ambitions,” it concludes, adding that the reported border visit by a Hafiz Saeed associate underscores the vulnerabilities Bangladesh may be exposing itself to through deeper engagement with Pakistan.
