A diplomatic meeting between Bangladesh leader Muhammad Yunus and Pakistani general Sahir Shamshad Mirza has triggered a row in India. Netizens reacted to a Bangladesh map shared by Yunus that misrepresented India's international borders.
The map, which was the cover of a book called 'Art of Triumph', showed northeastern states a part of Bangladesh.
'Greater Bangladesh'
Reports say it aligns with calls made by radical Islamist groups for a 'Greater Bangladesh'. The map has previously been shared by Yunus to other foreign leaders, including those from the US.
He triggered the latest controversy at a diplomatic meeting arranged to thaw historically strained relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh. Remember, Bangladesh was carved out of Pakistan during the the 1971 Liberation War, that too with India's help.
And this isn't the first time Yunus, a Nobel laureate, has challenged India's territorial integrity. Over the past months, he has falsely described India's northeast as a landlocked region. Yunus has pitched Bangladesh as a 'gateway to the Sea' to China.
Tensions flared again in May after a close aide of Yunus suggested that Bangladesh should collaborate with China to occupy India's northeastern states if it attacked Pakistan, as per India Today. The remark by now-retired Major General Fazlur Rahman came following the Pahalgam attack by Pakistani terrorists that left 26 dead.
In 2024, another close aide of Yunus, Nahidul Islam, floated the idea of "Greater Bangladesh" by sharing a map showing parts of West Bengal, Tripura, and Assam as part of Bangladesh.
New Delhi is yet to react to the fresh diplomatic row -- which has so far only existed on social media.
Ties between New Delhi and Dhaka have strained since Sheikh Hasina's ouster. The long-standing Awami League regime was brought down by violent student-led protests last year.
Despite that, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Yunus in April. Yunus said the bilateral on the sidelines of a summit in Thailand was 'constructive, productive and fruitful.'
