A known associate of Hafiz Saeed, the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has been identified in Bangladesh, engaged in activities near the country’s border with India. Ibtisam Elahi Zaheer, the General Secretary of Pakistan’s Markazi Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith and a longstanding partner of the designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed, arrived in Dhaka on October 25. Since his arrival, he has been touring sensitive border regions, delivering provocative speeches and networking with local extremist factions.
Over the past two days, Zaheer has visited border areas in Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj and is set to travel to Rangpur later this week. This visit marks his second trip since the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus assumed power. He had previously spent more than a week in Bangladesh in February 2025.
Zaheer’s recent activities, including visits to multiple frontier regions and attendance at a prominent Salafi conference, have sparked concerns about a growing Pakistan-Bangladesh collaboration aimed at destabilizing Northeast India. These movements come at a time of escalated tensions following the removal of Bangladesh’s Sheikh Hasina government in August 2024, with reports indicating that the interim regime under Yunus has created opportunities for extremist networks that were previously under control.
Zaheer is scheduled to participate in a significant Islami Conference in Rajshahi on November 6-7 and is expected to extend his stay in the country for more than 12 days. His presence in Bangladesh, alongside upcoming visits by figures like Zakir Naik in late November, signals a potential alignment of radical influences that could enhance recruitment and propaganda efforts targeting vulnerable communities along the borders.
Despite these developments, Bangladesh’s interim government has not yet issued any official statements regarding Zaheer’s visit.