NEW DELHI, Oct 30: Indian intelligence agencies have reportedly uncovered a major conspiracy aimed at destabilizing the country’s northeastern region and reversing the peace and development achieved since 2014. According to intercepts picked up by the agencies, several insurgent and terror groups are planning coordinated attacks across the region with financial and logistical support from Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Sources said that the ISI has significantly increased its funding to revive dormant insurgent groups in the Northeast, using networks operating through Bhutan and Myanmar. Intelligence inputs also suggest that Bangladesh has emerged as a new operational hub for ISI-linked activities, with a noticeable rise in visits by Pakistani officials and terrorists to the country in recent weeks.

Officials said the plot is part of a broader plan to create unrest, disrupt developmental progress, and erode public trust in the Indian government’s ability to ensure peace and stability. “The goal is to send a message that India cannot protect its own people in the Northeast, and to incite anti-India sentiment,” a senior Intelligence Bureau officer said.

Under the Modi government, the Northeast has witnessed large-scale investments and developmental initiatives that have led to employment generation and a sharp decline in insurgent activity. However, the ISI reportedly wants to “rewind” the region to the pre-2014 era when insurgency and cross-border militancy were rampant.

As part of this “multi-pronged” plan, the ISI is said to be sponsoring visits of radical preachers such as Zakir Naik and Ibtisam Elahi Zaheer to Bangladesh. Naik, who remains on India’s ‘Most Wanted’ list, is expected to undertake a month-long tour across Bangladesh, including areas near the India-Bangladesh border, to propagate extremist ideology. Similarly, Zaheer—an associate of Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed—has scheduled programmes in Rangpur, Lalmonirhat, and Nilphamari, which lie close to India’s frontier.

Security agencies fear that such events could incite violence and fuel anti-India sentiment, potentially triggering unrest along the border that could spill over into India’s northeastern states. “If violence breaks out, terrorist groups could exploit the chaos to infiltrate and carry out attacks,” an official warned.

Intelligence authorities are closely monitoring the situation and have advised heightened vigilance in the border states of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, Manipur, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh. Security has been strengthened in vulnerable zones, and coordination between central and state agencies has been intensified to thwart any attempt to disrupt peace in the region.