As part of the continuing deepening of ties between the Bangladesh and Pakistan armed forces, a four-member team of the Pakistan Army, led by a lieutenant general, will arrive in Dhaka on a four-day visit beginning October 9, Northeast News has learnt.
Information accessed by Northeast News shows that Lt Gen Tabassum Habib, Director General of Joint Staff, will lead the delegation which will include a Pakistan Navy commodore and a staff officer of the rank of major.
The Bangladesh Army’s Armed Forces Division (AFD), which functions out of Chief Adviser Mohammad Yunus’ office, enjoys “ministerial status” and coordinates with the Ministry of Defence.
The AFD is a joint coordinating headquarter for Bangladesh’s three defence services and takes on the function of a joint command centre during “war situation”.
The AFD coordinates and accords government approval on “matters related to operations, plans, training, intelligence, civil-military relations, administration and logistics.
The visit of the Pakistan delegation was planned last month when AFD’s Operation and Plan Directorate issued a letter intimating the decision to host Lt Gen Habib who is based at the Joint Staff Headquarters at Chaklala in Rawalpindi.
While official memos describe Lt Gen Habib’s arrival as part of a “goodwill visit” and “aims to enhance cooperation between BD and PK, especially in the field of defence”, Lt Gen Habib, who also holds the position of Director General of the Special Investment Facilitation Council, will meet the Bangladesh Army top brass, though it is not known whether he will have a one-on-one meeting General Waker-uz-Zaman.
The visit will, however, be conducted under the overall responsibility and supervision of the AFD” which is headed by Lt Gen S M Kamrul Hassan who led a delegation of Bangladesh Army officers to Pakistan in January 2025.
Following this visit, a three-member team of Pakistan Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) officers led by a major general, arrived in Dhaka before touring some border areas within Bangladesh.
Since then, at least two other teams of Pakistan Army officers have paid quiet visits to Bangladesh.
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The Pakistani Joint Staff Headquarters was established to improve coordination, command, and communication among the branches of the armed forces.
A former General Officer Commanding the Pakistan Army’s 14th Infantry Division based in Okara in Punjab.
He was promoted to lieutenant general in November 2024 when he took charge as DG Joint Staff.
An alumnus of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, Lt Gen Habib previously headed an artillery brigade and served in the Military Intelligence Directorate and on a UN peacekeeping tour.
