Bangladesh NCP Leader Warns of Sheltering Anti-India Forces, Targeting Northeast States

Hasnat Abdullah, leader of Bangladesh’s National Citizen Party (NCP), on Monday warned that Dhaka could provide sanctuary to forces hostile to India, including separatist groups, and sought to “sever the seven sisters” — a term used for India’s northeastern states.

Speaking at a gathering at Dhaka’s Central Shaheed Minar, Abdullah said, “We will shelter separatist and anti-India forces and then we will sever the seven sisters from India,” drawing loud cheers from parts of the audience.

The “seven sisters” include Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura. Four of these — Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram — share a land border with Bangladesh, highlighting the region’s strategic sensitivity.

India has historically accused militant and separatist outfits in the Northeast of using Bangladesh as a safe haven, transit route, and logistics base, particularly during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Security agencies have repeatedly linked groups such as the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) to camps and support networks across the border.

Officials said cadres often crossed into Bangladesh to evade Indian security forces, and training and arms procurement reportedly took place there.

Beyond the Northeast, Bangladesh was also identified as a base for Islamist extremist networks with links to India. Groups such as Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) and Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) were flagged by Indian agencies for facilitating radicalisation and logistics networks affecting eastern India. The situation shifted significantly after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina returned to power in 2009, when Dhaka launched a sustained crackdown on insurgent groups targeting India.

Separately, Abdullah criticised the Bangladesh Election Commission, calling it “spineless” and questioning its decision to label the attack on electoral candidate Osman Hadi as an “isolated” incident.

Also Read: Seven Sisters Waterfall: All you need to know about the famous tourist spot in the Northeast of India