Engineering A Hung House? Pakistan's Interference Casts Shadow Over Bangladesh Polls | Exclusive

Last Updated:December 29, 2025, 12:59 IST

Pakistan’s High Commission in Dhaka, along with a newly established ISI-linked cell, is allegedly facilitating outreach to anti-India political actors to ensure a fractured mandate

Pakistan's High Commissioner (left) meets Muhammad Yunus. (News18)

Pakistan’s engagement with Bangladesh’s interim administration headed by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has come under sharp scrutiny amid growing concerns of external interference ahead of the country’s next general elections, CNN-News18 has learnt from top diplomatic and intelligence sources.

According to sources, Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh recently called on Yunus, with discussions ranging from power transition issues to broader cooperation and collaboration. While officially framed as diplomatic outreach, the meeting has raised eyebrows in Dhaka’s diplomatic and security circles, given the interim nature of the Yunus-led administration.

Sources told CNN-News18 that Pakistan has been maintaining continuous contact with the interim regime as well as political groups opposed to former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, prompting concerns over interference in Bangladesh’s internal political processes. Watchdog groups and members of the diplomatic community in Dhaka are closely monitoring these developments, sources said.

Officials pointed out that the Yunus administration is an interim setup with no electoral mandate, and under established norms, such governments are expected to avoid extensive engagement with foreign diplomats on politically sensitive matters. India, sources added, is keeping a close watch on these interactions.

Intelligence inputs reviewed by CNN-News18 allege that Pakistan is actively manoeuvring Bangladesh’s political landscape by extending support to opposition parties, including Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh ist Party (BNP) and Shafiqur Rahman-led Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, ahead of the polls. Reports further claim that Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the ISI, is suspected of providing covert financial assistance to these groups—allegations that Islamabad has not publicly responded to.

Sources also claim that Pakistan’s High Commission in Dhaka, along with a newly established ISI-linked cell, is facilitating outreach to anti-India political actors, including elements within BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and the Citizen Party. The alleged objective, according to sources, is to influence electoral outcomes and push for a fractured mandate.

“Pakistan appears keen on engineering a hung parliament or a weak coalition government in Bangladesh," a senior source told CNN-News18, adding that such an outcome would create strategic space for greater external leverage.

Adding to the concerns, sources indicate that a high-level political and military delegation from Pakistan may visit Bangladesh in the near future, further intensifying diplomatic attention around the evolving situation.

News world Engineering A Hung House? Pakistan's Interference Casts Shadow Over Bangladesh Polls | Exclusive

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