A dangerous Islamist resurgence, fuelled by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), is rapidly destabilising Bangladesh under Muhammad Yunus’s interim government, raising fears of regional insecurity. Since Sheikh Hasina’s ouster, Bangladesh has witnessed troubling policies that openly embrace extremist elements, posing a serious threat to regional peace and creating a major faultline for Dhaka.
The Yunus administration, criticised internationally for reversing Sheikh Hasina’s secular policies, has lifted bans on extremist organisations like Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI)—a group notorious for orchestrating violence against minorities and secular opponents. Jamaat’s militant student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS), implicated in anti-India and sectarian violence, is also regaining momentum.
The most concerning aspect, however, has been Yunus’s willingness to mainstream radical elements. Nasimul Gani, a founding member of the globally banned Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir—which advocates a worldwide Islamic caliphate—now occupies the critical post of Home Secretary. Yunus also appointed Mohammad Mahfuz Alam, widely regarded as the intellectual force behind recent Islamist agitations, as his special assistant. Alam, with his known extremist affiliations and anti-minority rhetoric, symbolises the regime’s pivot towards Islamism.
In another alarming move, convicted Islamist terrorists have been quietly released. Jashimuddin Rahmani, chief of Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), an Al-Qaeda-linked group responsible for killing secular bloggers, walked free from prison last August, raising concerns about the administration’s complicity in emboldening terror outfits.
ISI’s fingerprints are unmistakable in Bangladesh’s ongoing radicalisation. A recent visit by a high-level ISI delegation, led by senior intelligence official Asim Malik, highlighted renewed Pakistan-Bangladesh collaboration despite Dhaka’s denials. Historically, ISI has maintained a significant operational presence in Bangladesh since General Pervez Musharraf’s visit in 2003, when it established Cox’s Bazar as a key base for arms trafficking and terror financing.
Today, Cox’s Bazar remains a thriving hub for ISI-backed smuggling operations, serving as a transit point for arms supplied by China and funnelled to insurgent groups targeting India’s Northeast, including ULFA and Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA). Ex-soldiers from Pakistan Army’s Special Services Group (SSG) are openly conducting training camps for extremists and Rohingya insurgents along Bangladesh’s porous borders, particularly in Bandarban and Sylhet, facilitating easy infiltration into neighbouring regions.
These developments reflect a disturbing revival of the radical legacy last seen under General Ziaur Rahman’s military rule in the 1970s. Yunus’s decision to propose removing secularism, socialism, and nationalism from Bangladesh’s constitution signifies a severe threat to the country’s secular identity. Analysts from the International Centre for Peace Studies (ICPS) warn that these shifts endanger Bangladesh’s social harmony, pushing it toward increased isolation on the global stage.
The radicalisation fostered by ISI-backed Islamist groups also directly threatens India’s northeastern states, given past attempts by ISI to smuggle arms for insurgent outfits such as ULFA. Moreover, extremist groups like HuJI-B and Hizb ut-Tahrir openly advocate establishing an Islamic state, challenging Bangladesh’s foundational secularism.
As the Yunus administration turns a blind eye or actively encourages this dangerous Islamist resurgence, the future of Bangladesh and regional stability hangs precariously in balance. Unless checked, Bangladesh risks becoming a regional hotbed of Islamist extremism, with dire consequences extending far beyond its borders.
Aritra Banerjee is a defence & security columnist.