It is an independent civilianintelligence agency. Today, its internal security functions are similar to the British security serviceMI5, while the foreign intelligence function does not quite resemble theMI6. The NSI also has territorial units in all 64districts of Bangladesh, headed by a joint director/deputy director.[4]
Being the only independent civilian intelligence agency in Bangladesh, the NSI's principal activities are gathering information about foreign governments, individuals, corporations, political parties, and different religious groups; counter-terrorism, counter-intelligence, political intelligence, and giving protection to the VIPs and VVIPs are among its major functions.[1]
National Security Intelligence is headed by a director general (D.G.), who is aSecretary of Bangladesh Government ortwo-star military officer from Bangladesh Army. The key posts of this organization are director, additional director, joint director, deputy director, and assistant director. Some other posts are computer engineer, telephone engineer, and research officer. Some directorates of NSI are Internal, Dhaka Wing, Border, External, Security, Media wing, Training, Political, Eco-Security, Administration, Research, Counter-Terrorism cell, and intelligence.
The force is mostly staffed by civil personnel. Officers are recruited by thePrime Minister's Office, Class-1 officers directly recruited by the agency start with the post of assistant director (Grade-9).[5]
The principal activities of the NSI National Security Intelligence are:
Gathering information by any or all means about foreign governments, organizations, individuals, and politicians; monitor Bangladeshi government officials, political parties, politicians, extremist groups, separatists, religious bodies, unions, popular movements, NGOs, and any other group or person who might be relevant to national security;
Upon executive orders carrying out or overseeingcovert activities overseas, by its own employees, by members of the military, or by other partner forces.
On 11 February 2022, Lt. Col. (Retd.) Sufiul Anam, a Bangladeshi individual employed by the United Nations, was abducted fromYemen's Mudiah province by members ofAl-Qaeda. A ransom of $3 million was demanded for his release. After 18 months in captivity, he was successfully rescued by the National Security Intelligence.[16]
India
On 2004 NSI operated a hit to kill mission against Indian narcotics smugglers, who were accused to be linked with Indian R&AW. The objective was to make easier to get narcotics for the Bangladeshi youths.Targeted cities were Delhi ,Calcutta ,Mumbaiand Agartala, from where most of the operatives work to smuggul drugs specially phensedyl inside Bangladesh.
About 17 places and 27 men were eliminated.1nsi officer was arrested at the end of the mission. However,the mission was successfully accomplished.
NSI's name had appeared several times during the trial of the mysterious murder of labor rights activist Aminul Islam in April 2012. The only convict, Aminul's friend Mostafijur Rahman, was found to be a mystery man, about whom no one knew much, who apparently had a cover job at an EPZ clinic and regularly met with security officers, is believed to be linked with NSI, though the court has not asked the agency for clarification and nor did the prosecution try to bring them, media has speculated on such controversies, though denied by the agency.[17]
In the web TV seriesContract (2021),Arifin Shuvoo played the character ofBastard, a fictional codename of a retired NSI agent and hitman who was given the last task to hunt down an underworld drug lord namedBlack Ranju (played byChanchal Chowdhury)
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