Preceding agency Independent Parent agency None (Independent) | Annual budget Confidential Headquarters Dhaka | |
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Formed 29 December 1972; 44 years ago (1972-12-29) Agency executive Major General Md Shamsul Haque, PSC, Director General Motto Watch and Listen for the nation, To protect national security Similar Border Guard Unit, Unit 8200, Military Intelligence Directorate, Border Guards Bangladesh, Bangladesh Armed Forces | ||
The National Security Intelligence (Bengali: জাতীয় নিরাপত্তা গোয়েন্দা), commonly known as the NSI, is the principal intelligence agency of People's Republic of Bangladesh (গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ). The NSI's headquarters is in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The NSI is the leading body of the Government of Bangladesh in the field of internal security, Counter Terrorism, Counter intelligence and Foreign intelligence. NSI is largest among the intelligence agencies in Bangladesh, the others are as Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), SB, CID, Army Intelligence, Naval Intelligence etc. The agency stands under the direct authority of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
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This is an independent international intelligence agency. Like other intelligence agency, NSI is believed to have branch offices outside Bangladesh. The NSI also has territorial units in all of the 64 districts of Bangladesh headed by Joint Director/Deputy Director or Assistant Director.
Being the largest, highest and the only independent intelligence agency in Bangladesh, The NSI's principal activities are gathering information about foreign governments, individuals, corporations and political parties, and different religious groups and terrorists, and counter-intelligence against foreign intelligence agencies etc.
Organization
Duties
The NSI has three principal activities: gathering information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals; analysing that information, along with intelligence gathered by other Bangladesh intelligence agencies, to provide national security intelligence assessment to senior Bangladesh policymakers; and, upon the request of the President of the people republic of Bangladesh, carrying out or overseeing covert activities and some tactical operations by its own employees, by members of the military, or by other partners.
Human Rights abuses
According to Human Rights Watch's May 2009 issue, during the 2006–08 Bangladeshi political crisis in Bangladesh, the NSI was actively involved in harassment and arbitrary arrest of labour activists.