Why is AL repeatedly bringing up Pakistan and ISI?

The Awami League has repeatedly raised allegations about Pakistan and its Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency in recent months, with party leaders claiming that Islamabad is seeking to influence Bangladesh’s politics.

The issue drew renewed attention after ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy spoke at a news conference in New Delhi on 5 August.

Joy claimed that Bangladesh had become “Pakistan” in India’s south and alleged that Pakistan’s intelligence agency was operating freely in Bangladesh.

Similar allegations have previously been made by other Awami League leaders.

Earlier this year, former minister Mohammad Ali Arafat told India’s Asian News International that the ISI and Pakistani military intelligence were actively seeking to influence Bangladesh’s politics.

Awami League joint general secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim also raised allegations about the ISI’s presence in Bangladesh and the country’s growing ties with Pakistan in an interview on 24 January.

So why does the Awami League keep bringing up Pakistan and its intelligence agency?

Political strategy

Relations between Bangladesh and India, and the Awami League government’s close ties with New Delhi, had long been the subject of political debate. But ties between the two countries cooled after Sheikh Hasina’s government fell on 5 August 2024.

Hasina and many Awami League leaders and activists have been living in India since then.

Some analysts believe that, as many senior Awami League leaders remain in India, raising the Pakistan issue is aimed partly at reassuring New Delhi, where concerns over Pakistan remain politically sensitive.

Professor Toufiq M Haque, director of the South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance at North South University, said the Awami League may believe that highlighting Pakistan and militancy could encourage both India and Western countries to support its return to politics.

According to Prof Toufiq, the party is relying on an old political strategy of linking its opponents with Pakistan and militancy.

Prof Sreeradha Dutt, an international relations expert at OP Jindal Global University in India, offered another explanation.

She said, “There is a degree of sensitivity towards Pakistan both in India and among Awami League supporters. The party could therefore be invoking the issue to motivate its activists and reaffirm its political position.”

While in power, the Awami League frequently linked the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami with Pakistan.

In 2014, Sheikh Hasina, referring to BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, said at a rally in Gopalganj that although she was born in India, “her heart is in Pakistan”, and suggested that she could leave for Pakistan if she wished.

Analysts also point to the current political strength of the BNP and Jamaat as another reason the Awami League may be seeking to revive the Pakistan narrative.

Although anti-Pakistan sentiment remains strong among many Bangladeshis because of the 1971 Liberation War, anti-India sentiment has also grown among sections of the younger generation. Analysts say both trends have developed against the backdrop of the political trajectories of the Awami League and India’s BJP government.

The Awami League has historically enjoyed greater support and cooperation from India than any other major Bangladeshi political party.

Seeking international attention

Joy appeared to make his latest remarks with an eye on Indian and international media, according to former interim government adviser and security analyst retired Brigadier General M Sakhawat Hossain.

He said the Awami League was bringing up familiar issues such as Pakistan and militancy that no longer carried the same weight in Bangladesh or internationally.

Although the Indian government has not officially acknowledged or supported any such involvement, several senior BNP leaders have said that the Awami League’s political activities in India would not have been possible without New Delhi’s approval.

Sreeradha Dutt also believes that India has historically supported Sheikh Hasina and that she remains important to New Delhi.

However, she said Hasina’s recent statements could also create difficulties for India, particularly because New Delhi has recognised and engaged with Bangladesh’s current government.

“I think she is also putting India in a difficult position by making these statements,” Sreeradha said.

Pakistan rejects ISI allegations

The Awami League’s recent comments have also drawn a response from Pakistan.

Asked about the allegations at a briefing, Pakistani Foreign Office spokesman Tahir Andrabi rejected what he described as clear insinuations about the ISI’s role.

He said India had concerns about the ISI and suggested that Hasina might have been influenced by those concerns because she was staying in India.

He also said Pakistan did not interfere in Bangladesh’s internal affairs.

The issue has also received attention in Pakistan.

International relations expert Dr Ishtiaq Ahmed told BBC Urdu that, given her circumstances, making such statements from India and accusing Pakistan might be one of the few political options left for Hasina.

Former Pakistani high commissioner to India Abdul Basit said Hasina was making such remarks to please people in India because she was living there.