The eastern threat returns: Why Bangladesh must act before terror networks take root again

A recent investigative report by DFRAC has raised alarms across the region, revealing how Pakistan-backed terror groups—most notably Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) are quietly rebuilding ideological and organisational networks inside Bangladesh. These revelations are not mere academic concerns; they represent a real and immediate threat to regional stability, India’s internal security, and Bangladesh’s own socio-political fabric.

According to the DFRAC report, several influential Pakistani clerics and extremist preachers have been travelling to Bangladesh, sometimes receiving visa-on-arrival approvals, and participating in religious gatherings across border districts. Their activities mirror the early-2000s pattern, when extremist networks attempted to convert parts of Bangladesh into an operational “eastern corridor” for cross-border terror activities. Today, with political shifts and institutional distractions in Dhaka, that corridor appears to be reopening.

This development represents a disturbing tactical shift. Extremist groups are no longer relying solely on underground sleeper cells; they are trying to embed themselves openly through religious conferences, ideological outreach, and alliances with sympathetic local organisations. By doing so, they hope to rebuild legitimacy, recruit youth, and restore long-term capacity to strike across borders from the Rohingya belt to the Indian Northeast.

The implications of this strategy cannot be overstated. Bangladesh has, for the better part of a decade, been a symbol of successful counter-terrorism. It dismantled many radical networks and emerged as a model for decisive action against violent extremism. But the current resurgence of foreign-linked preachers and the reactivation of cross-border logistical routes indicate that extremist elements sense an opportunity. If allowed to grow unchecked, this new “eastern front” will destabilise not only Bangladesh but the entire subcontinent.

For India, the threat is immediate and direct. Border districts in West Bengal, Tripura and Assam have long been vulnerable to infiltration, smuggling networks and ideological spillovers. The revival of Pakistan-backed networks inside Bangladesh risks reigniting patterns of infiltration and covert radicalisation that India had largely controlled over the last decade. Security agencies must therefore intensify border vigilance, intelligence-sharing and community engagement in these sensitive zones.

For Bangladesh, the stakes are perhaps even higher. No country suffers more when violent extremism takes root than the one that becomes the staging ground. A resurgence of radical ideologies threatens its social cohesion, economic growth, diplomatic relationships and international credibility. The last thing Bangladesh needs, particularly in a politically fragile moment, is to give safe breathing space to transnational extremist groups that view instability as an opportunity.

Dhaka must respond swiftly. First, visa protocols for foreign religious preachers must be re-evaluated with immediate effect. Second, religious gatherings, NGOs and networks with suspected extremist influence require thorough scrutiny. Third, Bangladesh’s celebrated counter-terrorism agencies whose success earned global praise must be empowered once again to take decisive action. And finally, the government must engage local communities, religious leaders and civil society to counter ideological propaganda before it spreads.

The region too must recognise that this is not Bangladesh’s battle alone. South Asian security has always been interconnected. Pakistan’s use of non-state actors as strategic tools is a well-documented pattern. To counter it, India, Bangladesh and other neighbours must strengthen cooperative frameworks for intelligence exchange, border management and counter-radicalisation.

The DFRAC report is a warning, not a conclusion. It tells us that extremism adapts, evolves and exploits political gaps. It reminds us that complacency is the greatest enabler of radical groups. Most importantly, it shows that South Asia cannot afford to look away, even for a moment.

Bangladesh stands today at a crossroads. One path leads back to the instability of the past; the other demands vigilance, unity and decisive action. For the sake of regional peace and for its own future it must choose wisely, and choose now.

(The writer is an Senior Research analyst at DFRAC, focusing on South Asian security and counter-terrorism.)