Barely two months after Indian intelligence agencies linked Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and its proxy, The Resistance Front (TRF), to the April 22 Pahalgam massacre in Kashmir, a new controversy has erupted involving Bangladesh’s interim National Security Advisor (NSA), Dr. Khalilur Rahman.
According to military intelligence sources in Dhaka, Rahman has allegedly sought Chinese mediation to arrange a secret meeting with ISI chief Asim Malik, triggering alarm in Indian security and diplomatic circles.
Sources within the Bangladesh Army’s intelligence wing confirm that Dr. Rahman made the request during a confidential meeting with the Chinese ambassador in Dhaka, prior to his recent visit to London. The meeting, officials believe, served as a strategic groundwork for his upcoming trip to Beijing, where he reportedly hopes to engage directly with the ISI leadership—widely seen as the architects of the April terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 Indian civilians.
“This is not just irregular — it’s alarming,” said a senior Bangladeshi military intelligence officer. “Rahman’s outreach to the ISI, at a time when regional stability is under threat, raises troubling questions about the real intent of Bangladesh’s interim leadership.”
Indian security agencies have identified Hashim Musa (aka Suleman), a former Pakistani Special Service Group (SSG) commando turned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative, as one of the key perpetrators of the Pahalgam massacre. His ties with ISI have been “conclusively established”, Indian officials claim.
“This is not a rogue element—it was state-backed terrorism,” a senior Indian intelligence officer said, emphasizing the ISI’s direct hand in orchestrating the cross-border strike.
Dhaka’s silence and secret meetings raise red flags
Indian officials stationed in Dhaka are reportedly disturbed by the interim government’s silence following the massacre. Unlike Sri Lanka or the Maldives, Bangladesh did not issue any formal condemnation of the attack. The situation worsened when it emerged that Dr. Asif Nazrul, the interim government’s Legal Advisor, allegedly met Harun Izhar, Bangladesh chief of LeT, inside the Ministry of Law offices in Dhaka — just hours after the incident.
“This kind of covert engagement is not only provocative, but strategically reckless,” noted a senior official from India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), adding, “It’s a growing pattern of Islamist radical links surfacing within the Bangladeshi interim administration.”
Rahman’s political ties deepen concerns
Adding to the controversy, intelligence reports revealed that two days before the high-profile meeting in London between interim Chief Advisor Dr. Muhammad Yunus and BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman, Khalilur secretly met with Tarique at his residence on June 11, 2025. Insiders suggest this private meeting may have been the actual power summit, with the public Yunus-Tarique photo-op serving as mere diplomatic theatre.
The lack of transparency has ignited internal rifts within the BNP, with party factions now calling for the resignation of both Rahman and Student Affairs Advisor Asif Mahmud, citing growing security risks and concerns over authoritarian overreach.
Rahman, a naturalised US citizen, entered the Bangladeshi interim government as the High Representative for Rohingya Affairs. However, within weeks, he was elevated to National Security Advisor, and has since become a dominant presence across key ministries, including Commerce and Foreign Affairs.
This rapid consolidation of influence has triggered fears across Dhaka’s political spectrum. “His grip over governance is unprecedented for an unelected figure,” said a senior bureaucrat. “People are calling it unchecked omnipotence.”
India reassessing ties amid mounting tensions
With suspicions rising over Rahman’s covert dealings and Bangladesh’s ambiguous stance on regional terror, Indian policymakers are now actively reconsidering the future of bilateral intelligence cooperation and diplomatic engagement with Dhaka’s interim regime.
“This is no longer a political issue—it’s a national security threat,” warned an Indian strategic analyst. “Rahman’s actions are eroding trust, and could push India to re-evaluate its entire framework of engagement with Bangladesh during this transitional period.”
As Bangladesh navigates a volatile political environment, the controversial actions of Rahman have emerged as a flashpoint for regional tension, raising critical questions about the direction of Dhaka’s interim leadership and its impact on South Asian stability.
