ISI's 'Long Shadow' Returns to Bangladesh: India Raises Alarm Over Dhaka-Islamabad Axis

• Pakistan's ISI re-establishes influence in Bangladesh after 15 years, following Sheikh Hasina's ouster in August 2024.
• A dedicated "Dhaka Cell" with high-ranking Pakistani military and intelligence officers reportedly set up in the Pakistani High Commission.
• General Sahir Shamshad Mirza's visit led to joint intelligence-sharing, suspected to monitor India's eastern borders.
• Rapid rapprochement includes visa-free access for diplomats/military, defence cooperation, and new economic corridors.
• ISI's mission: radicalise youth, promote extremism (Jamaat-e-Islami) to create an anti-India "Hybrid Regime"; current unrest seen as "managed crisis" to delay elections.

Why It Matters: Pakistan's ISI is actively re-establishing influence in Bangladesh, raising significant security concerns for India.