ISI, smuggling syndicates and PoK terrorists: The Bangladesh route to Republic Day attacks

Indian intelligence agencies have warned of an ISI-backed plot to infiltrate terrorists into India via Bangladesh ahead of Republic Day, citing links with smuggling syndicates and relaxed controls there, as Pakistan-based groups seek alternative routes amid tighter LoC security

New Delhi: Even as terror launchpads continue to flourish in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), the ISI has been moving some operatives into Bangladesh. The intention is to have them infiltrate India through the Bangladesh border, Intelligence agencies have learnt.

Indian agencies have learnt of a major plot that the ISI has hatched ahead of Republic Day, which falls on January 26. With terrorists finding it hard to infiltrate the country through the Line of Control (LoC), the ISI is looking at the India route through Bangladesh, an official said.

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Another official said that the ISI has been in touch with operatives who are into smuggling cattle, counterfeit Indian currency and human traffickers. The ISI would use these syndicates to help terrorists infiltrate India from Bangladesh, the official also added. These syndicates are familiar with the routes into India from Bangladesh, and hence, Pakistan has reached out to them to further their deadly plan ahead of Republic Day.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that the terrorists would use the sea route from Pakistan to first enter Bangladesh. The ISI would take advantage of the fact that the Muhammad Yunus government had, in 2024, exempted Pakistani shipments from mandatory inspection.

Further, the Yunus administration also removed security clearance requirements for Pakistani visa applicants. For the ISI, these decisions came as a blessing, and today it can easily transport arms and ammunition as well as terrorists into Bangladesh without any security checks, officials say. The plan has been in the making since October 2025.

Ibtisam Elahi Zaheer, a close aide of Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed, had visited Bangladesh and met with important players who are running the smuggling syndicates.

Another official said that his visit was planned by ISI so that he could coordinate with other terror groups and crime syndicate heads in Bangladesh.

Zaheer is an expert in coordination and has been an ISI asset for a long time. Being a top aide of Saeed, he has also actively taken part in the affairs of the Lashkar-e-Taiba. Further, he is a cleric and has on many occasions spewed venom against India. All these factors made him the top pick to lead the massive terror plan to be carried out in India, officials say.

The Indian agencies are on a state of very high alert. Agency officials say that while terror attacks in India by the Pakistanis are nothing new, this time around, things are a bit different. The attack that is being planned is not only aimed at bleeding India, but also about sending a loud message to the youth in Pakistan who have been a bit reluctant to join groups such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Both these groups are finding it hard to recruit, and hence they need to undertake a spectacular attack in India to boost the morale of their cadre and also boost recruitments, an official said.

Ever since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government, the Pakistanis have been all over the place in Bangladesh. They have boosted ties with Bangladesh with the help of the Jamaat-e-Islami, while getting the Yunus regime to make several exceptions for themselves.

Further, the ISI has set up several terror cells while also overseeing the targeted killings of the minorities. This attack is also important for the ISI because it would be a test case for their Bangladesh operations. The ISI wants to shift a majority of its operations to Bangladesh so that these terrorists can target the northeastern states as well as West Bengal.

Further, the ISI wants to take advantage of the fact that a large number of security personnel are busy with the multiple elections that are coming up, including West Bengal and Assam. They feel that this would be the opportune time to target India.

Another official said that the reason why the ISI has handpicked terrorists from PoK and not Bangladesh is that they are already highly trained. The ISI just has to instruct them and manage the infiltration. They require no special training, and they’re ready to strike, and hence they have been chosen for this terror attack, the official also added.