News of ISI Chief's Visit To Bangladesh Is False: Press Wing

The interim government’s Chief Adviser’s Press Wing has stated that reports about the visit of Pakistan’s intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief, Lieutenant General Asim Munir, to Dhaka are completely false.

This announcement was made on Thursday, January 23, through a post on the verified Facebook page "CA Press Wing Facts".

The post mentioned that a spokesperson from Bangladesh’s Ministry of Defence clarified that the news circulating in various media and social media about the ISI chief visiting Bangladesh is false.

Recently, several Indian news outlets had reported that Pakistan’s ISI chief, Asim Munir, had visited Dhaka. Citing "reliable sources," The Economic Times reported that the main purpose of Munir’s visit was to establish a network for intelligence exchange between the intelligence agencies of Bangladesh and Pakistan. However, New Delhi raised concerns that such a visit could increase subversive activities along the Bangladesh-India border, potentially creating instability in India.

Indian media reports claimed that General Asim Munir arrived in Dhaka via Dubai last Tuesday, where he was welcomed by Lieutenant General Mohammad Faizur Rahman, the Quartermaster General (QMG) of the Bangladesh Army.

The reports also stated that although Bangladesh and Pakistan have historically had tense relations, these have somewhat improved recently following student-led protests that led to the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government. Analysts believe that growing anti-India sentiments in both countries have contributed to this improvement in relations.

Earlier, Lieutenant General SM Kamrul Hasan, the Principal Staff Officer (PSO) of Bangladesh’s Armed Forces, visited Islamabad. During his visit, he met with Pakistan’s Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza. Discussions were held on security challenges and bilateral military cooperation, according to Pakistan’s ISPR.

In their meeting, the two generals expressed mutual agreement on building a "strong defense relationship." They emphasized the importance of protecting the partnership between Pakistan and Bangladesh from external influences, although no specific countries were named in this context.

It is worth noting that since the interim government took charge after the people's uprising against the Sheikh Hasina government on August 5, Pakistan has been making efforts to thaw the frosty relations with Bangladesh. 

In December, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with the interim government’s head, Muhammad Yunus, at the Developing Eight (D-8) summit in Cairo. Prior to that, the two leaders met in New York during the United Nations General Assembly in September.