Controversies
Although their role and structure is clearly defined and governed by law, Bangladesh's intelligence community has been criticised in the media and by other governments and agencies for alleged ties to terrorist groups and foreign intelligence agencies. During the military regimes of Ziaur Rahman and Hossain Mohammad Ershad, Bangladesh's intelligence agencies were seen as highly politicised and active in the repression of political activities. During Ershad's rule, intelligence chiefs were amongst the president's closest advisers. In the 1990s and early 2000s, controversy arose over the alleged links maintained by Bangladeshi intelligence agencies with the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency of Pakistan and their patronage of anti-India separatist groups such as the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) and Islamic terrorist outfits such as the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HUJI).
Read more about this topic: Bangladeshi Intelligence Community