Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi has expressed concerns regarding the presence of the Pakistan Army and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in Bangladesh. Dwivedi mentioned that India is closely monitoring the situation and will take appropriate actions when required.

Reports indicate that the ISI is seeking to re-establish its presence in strategic areas of Bangladesh, potentially threatening India's security. These areas, including Cox’s Bazar, Ukhia, Teknaf, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, and Sherpur, were part of East Pakistan before Bangladesh's formation in 1971. Before 1971, the Pakistan army had a presence in these strategic areas and supported insurgent groups active in northeastern states like Nagaland and Mizoram, creating challenges for India.

In an interview with ANI, Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi referred to Pakistan as the "epicentre of terrorism," emphasising India's concern that Pakistan should not be able to use its territory to send terrorists into India. He stated, “I had used the word epicentre of terrorism for a particular country (Pakistan). Now those countrymen, if they go to any other place and they happen to be our neighbour, as far as I am concerned, I should be concerned about it. That they should not be able to use that soil to send terrorists to India. That is as far as that is concerned"

The ISI's efforts involve collaborating with pro-Islamist and pro-Jamaat factions within the Bangladesh Army. This has raised concerns about potential infiltration and the use of these bases as training grounds for insurgent groups targeting India.

General Dwivedi told ANI that Pakistan's agenda extends beyond Kashmir and is focused on fuelling an anti-India stance. He stated that "the idea of India is their major criticality" and that an anti-India stance is the common agenda that unifies Pakistan. Dwivedi added that Pakistan will continue to emphasize Kashmir to maintain this agenda.

Dwivedi's statements came in response to a question about whether Pakistan has accepted Kashmir as part of India. He used an analogy from the movie 'Guide' to illustrate Pakistan's position, saying they are stuck in their stance like a madman who refused to eat until it rained. Dwivedi also referenced Robert Kaplan's book 'Revenge of Geography,' questioning whether both sides of the Indus could ever be one.

ANI