Three brigadiers from the Pakistan Army arrived in Dhaka on an Emirates flight (No. 586) at 5:27pm on Saturday, landing at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, according to sources.
Reportedly from the Pakistan Army Medical Corps, they cleared immigration with newly issued machine-readable passports (dated April 30, May 26, and May 29, 2025, respectively) and were received by Pakistani diplomats and Bangladeshi officials.
The officials are Brigadier General Nadeem Ahmed, Brigadier General Muhammad Talha, and Brigadier General Saud Ahmed Rao.
Invited by the Bangladesh Army, they checked into the Radisson Blu Hotel in Dhaka before heading to the 10th Infantry Division headquarters at Ramu Cantonment in Cox’s Bazar, a sensitive military base designated since April 2025 as a support hub for the Arakan Army (AA).
A former Bangladeshi major general described the visit as a potential “secret mission,” raising concerns about its focus on Ramu. The officers are scheduled to meet senior Bangladesh Army officials, including those from the Medical Services Directorate and the Adjutant General’s Office, before departing for Dubai on July 5.
Additional military visits since August 2024
1. August 2024
A delegation led by Major General Faisal Khan, Director General of Pakistan’s ISI Medical Directorate, visited Dhaka on August 15, 2024, to discuss military medical training and disaster response with the Bangladesh Army’s Medical Corps. They visited the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka but did not travel to Ramu Cantonment. The visit sparked speculation about intelligence-sharing, though unconfirmed.
2. September 2024
On September 10, 2024, Major General Mohammad Hossain, Director General of the Bangladesh Army’s Logistics Directorate, visited Rawalpindi, Pakistan, to discuss supply chain management and joint exercises. The delegation toured the Army Medical College in Rawalpindi, focusing on trauma care training, signaling stronger bilateral military ties.
3. October 2024
On October 20, 2024, a five-member Pakistani Army Medical Corps team, led by Brigadier General Ayesha Malik, attended a symposium in Dhaka with Bangladesh’s 10th Infantry Division medical unit. Discussions centered on battlefield injury management, hosted at the Bangladesh Armed Forces Medical College.
4. November 2024
On November 5, 2024, a three-member Pakistani logistics team, headed by Brigadier General Imran Yousaf, visited Chittagong to inspect Bangladesh’s military logistics facilities. They met officers from the 24th Infantry Division to discuss supply chain resilience, raising concerns about deepening military ties without visiting Ramu.
The illegitimate interim government led by Muhammad Yunus has faced scrutiny for allegedly supporting the Arakan Army (AA) by providing shelter and logistical support in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), particularly in Bandarban.
The Bangladesh Army’s 10th Infantry Division at Ramu Cantonment, along with the 17th and 24th Infantry Divisions, is reportedly facilitating this support, with a logistics base under construction in Silkhali, near Teknaf, to provide non-lethal supplies to the AA and Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF).
On April 16, 2025, a US State Department delegation visited Dhaka, Cox’s Bazar, and the CHT to assess conditions for the proposed Rakhine Corridor, a US- and UN-backed humanitarian initiative to deliver aid to Myanmar’s Rakhine State, where over two million face famine due to civil war and an earthquake.
The US Army Pacific (USARPAC) is reportedly involved in logistics and security for displaced persons in Rakhine, raising concerns about countering China’s regional influence. The AA’s ties with the US have been noted, though no major power openly supplies arms.
The Rakhine Corridor has sparked controversy, with critics, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, labeling it a “bloody corridor” that threatens sovereignty due to risks of arms and drug smuggling and involvement of non-state actors like the AA.
On May 21, 2025, National Security Adviser Khalilur Rahman alias Roger Rahman clarified that no final decision was made, emphasising discussions with the UN focused on humanitarian aid.
The AA’s reported abuses against Rohingya civilians, including drone and artillery attacks in August 2024 that killed over 200 and displaced 45,000, have complicated the Yunus government’s negotiations for a “safe zone” for Rohingya repatriation, criticised as risky amid Myanmar’s civil war and great power rivalries.
Pakistan High Commissioner’s visits to Cox’s Bazar
Syed Ahmed Maroof, Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh, has been linked to controversial activities in Cox’s Bazar, raising concerns about Pakistan’s influence in Bangladesh’s volatile political landscape under the Yunus government.
Maroof, who began his tenure in December 2023, reportedly visited Cox’s Bazar multiple times, engaging with groups under international scrutiny for extremist links:
1. February 6-7, 2025
During a purported vacation with his wife, Maroof held a lengthy meeting in Cox’s Bazar with representatives of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), in the presence of Jamaat Amir Shafiqur Rahman.
The meeting coincided with a Jamaat workers’ conference on February 8, 2025, the first in 16 years, organised by the Cox’s Bazar district unit. Sources allege Maroof’s engagement aimed to bolster Pakistani influence through ideological infiltration, leveraging groups like ARSA, accused of terrorism by Myanmar and Malaysia, and JeI, known for its Islamist agenda.
2. December 2024
On December 25, 2024, Maroof reportedly attended a gathering in Cox’s Bazar where ARSA, the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO), Islami Mahaz, and Arakan National Defence Force announced the formation of the “Four Brothers’ Alliance,” allegedly backed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The alliance aims to counter the AA and regain territory in Myanmar, with support from Bangladesh’s Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI).
This has raised alarms about Pakistan’s role in escalating regional tensions, particularly as ARSA is accused of human rights abuses, including the 2017 massacre of 99 Hindus and turf wars in Rohingya refugee camps.
3. May 8-10, 2025
Maroof visited Cox’s Bazar again on May 8, 2025, and was scheduled to return to Dhaka on May 10. However, he left Bangladesh abruptly on May 11 via Dubai, reportedly due to a scandal involving an “immoral relationship” with Hafiza Haque Shah, a senior Bangladeshi bank official.
His departure without protocol fueled speculation about his recall due to diplomatic embarrassment over his engagements with fringe groups like ARSA and JeI, which are linked to violence and extremism in Cox’s Bazar’s refugee camps.
Maroof’s activities align with historical patterns of Pakistani diplomats engaging with extremist groups in Bangladesh. In 2015, two Pakistani officials were expelled for funding Islamist radicals and peddling fake currency, suggesting a broader strategy of influence.
The Yunus government’s permissive stance toward such engagements, combined with its alleged support for the AA and the Rakhine Corridor, has intensified concerns about Bangladesh’s sovereignty and its entanglement in regional power rivalries involving the US, China, and Pakistan.
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