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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The officials are Brigadier General Nadeem Ahmed, Brigadier General Muhammad Talha, and Brigadier General Saud Ahmed Rao.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019s Bazar, a sensitive military base designated since April 2025 as a support hub for the Arakan Army (AA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A former Bangladeshi major general described the visit as a potential \u201csecret mission,\u201d 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\u2019s Office, before departing for Dubai on July 5.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Additional military visits since August 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. August 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n A delegation led by Major General Faisal Khan, Director General of Pakistan\u2019s ISI Medical Directorate, visited Dhaka on August 15, 2024, to discuss military medical training and disaster response with the Bangladesh Army\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. September 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n On September 10, 2024, Major General Mohammad Hossain, Director General of the Bangladesh Army\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. October 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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\u2019s 10th Infantry Division medical unit. Discussions centered on battlefield injury management, hosted at the Bangladesh Armed Forces Medical College.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. November 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n On November 5, 2024, a three-member Pakistani logistics team, headed by Brigadier General Imran Yousaf, visited Chittagong to inspect Bangladesh\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Bangladesh Army\u2019s 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).<\/p>\n\n\n\n On April 16, 2025, a US State Department delegation visited Dhaka, Cox\u2019s Bazar, and the CHT to assess conditions for the proposed Rakhine Corridor, a US- and UN-backed humanitarian initiative to deliver aid to Myanmar\u2019s Rakhine State, where over two million face famine due to civil war and an earthquake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The US Army Pacific (USARPAC) is reportedly involved in logistics and security for displaced persons in Rakhine, raising concerns about countering China\u2019s regional influence. The AA\u2019s ties with the US have been noted, though no major power openly supplies arms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Rakhine Corridor has sparked controversy, with critics, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, labeling it a \u201cbloody corridor\u201d that threatens sovereignty due to risks of arms and drug smuggling and involvement of non-state actors like the AA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The AA\u2019s 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\u2019s negotiations for a \u201csafe zone\u201d for Rohingya repatriation, criticised as risky amid Myanmar\u2019s civil war and great power rivalries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pakistan High Commissioner\u2019s visits to Cox\u2019s Bazar<\/p>\n\n\n\n Syed Ahmed Maroof, Pakistan\u2019s High Commissioner to Bangladesh, has been linked to controversial activities in Cox\u2019s Bazar, raising concerns about Pakistan\u2019s influence in Bangladesh\u2019s volatile political landscape under the Yunus government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maroof, who began his tenure in December 2023, reportedly visited Cox\u2019s Bazar multiple times, engaging with groups under international scrutiny for extremist links:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. February 6-7, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n During a purported vacation with his wife, Maroof held a lengthy meeting in Cox\u2019s Bazar with representatives of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), in the presence of Jamaat Amir Shafiqur Rahman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The meeting coincided with a Jamaat workers\u2019 conference on February 8, 2025, the first in 16 years, organised by the Cox\u2019s Bazar district unit. Sources allege Maroof\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. December 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n On December 25, 2024, Maroof reportedly attended a gathering in Cox\u2019s Bazar where ARSA, the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO), Islami Mahaz, and Arakan National Defence Force announced the formation of the \u201cFour Brothers\u2019 Alliance,\u201d allegedly backed by Pakistan\u2019s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The alliance aims to counter the AA and regain territory in Myanmar, with support from Bangladesh\u2019s Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI).<\/p>\n\n\n\n This has raised alarms about Pakistan\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. May 8-10, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maroof visited Cox\u2019s 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 \u201cimmoral relationship\u201d with Hafiza Haque Shah, a senior Bangladeshi bank official.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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\u2019s Bazar\u2019s refugee camps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maroof\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Yunus government\u2019s permissive stance toward such engagements, combined with its alleged support for the AA and the Rakhine Corridor, has intensified concerns about Bangladesh\u2019s sovereignty and its entanglement in regional power rivalries involving the US, China, and Pakistan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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. 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