Copyright republicworld
Ibtisam Elahi Zaheer, a close associate of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed and Pakistan Markazi Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadis General Secretary, was recently spotted in Bangladesh. He reportedly landed in Rajshahi on October 25 and has been touring several sensitive districts of Bangladesh near the India-Bangladesh border since then.Although Bangladesh hasn't yet officially commented on Zaheer’s visit, the tour is being seen as part of a larger plan by Pakistan-based radicals to expand their presence in South Asia, using Bangladeshi territory as a “new base of operations”.After landing at Shah Makhdum Airport in Rajshahi, Zaheer was reportedly welcomed by Abdur Rahim bin Abdur Razzaq, a member of Al Jamia As-Salifa, an Islamic research institute linked to the Ahl-e-Hadith movement in Bangladesh. He has since visited Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, and Rangpur — districts which are close to the India-Bangladesh border. He is expected to travel to Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Joypurhat, and Nagaon in the coming days.Multiple reports also stated that Zaheer is scheduled to speak at a major Salafi conference in Rajshahi on November 6-7, before heading back to Pakistan on November 8.This marks the second visit of UN-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed's key man, Ibtisam Elahi Zaheer, since the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government took over in August 2024. His previous trip, in February 2025, lasted more than a week.The Muhammad Yunus-led administration has opened all doors for Pakistan since its very inception after ousting the Sheikh Hasina government. Meanwhile, Hafiz Saeed's aide is not the one and only. His visit coincides with that of Pakistan’s Joint Chief of Staff Committee Chairman General Sahir Shamshad Mirza. As per local reports, he arrived in Dhaka on the night of October 24 with a six-member delegation. The team accompanying Mirza includes his wife Shazia Sahir, Brigadier Mohammad Rashid Khan, Commodore Khan Muhammad Asif, and two Majors.What connects the dots between Zaheer and Mirza's visit to Bangladesh is their focus on areas near the India-Bangladesh border. Sahir Shamshad Mirza, the No. 2 of Pakistan's power play, is reportedly expected to visit the 'chicken neck' Siliguri Corridor, a key strategic area connecting India’s northeast to the mainland.Ibtisam Elahi Zaheer is reported to be closely allied with both Hafiz Saeed and radical Islamic preacher Zakir Naik. The duo had reportedly met in Pakistan in October 2024.Zaheer’s long-standing ties with Hafiz Saeed, LeT co-founder Amir Hamza and the late Abdul Rahman Makki (Hafiz Saeed’s brother-in-law and a UN-designated terrorist) have indeed raised alarms about renewed terror coordination on Bangladeshi soil.
