India objected to the misrepresentation of its map at an event in Bangladesh, with a diplomat from the Indian High Commission in Dhaka pointing out that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India.
Second secretary Puja Jha was attending a foreign policy seminar titled "Rebuilding Trust, Renewing Regional Integration: Pathways for Revitalising SAARC" at the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) in Dhaka on Monday, where former Bangladesh High Commissioner to India, Ahmed Tariq Karim, was giving a presentation. Bangladesh's State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shama Obaed, attended the event as the chief guest.
Noticing that the map showed Jammu and Kashmir as a part of Pakistan, Puja Jha interrupted the presentation and said that it was “factually incorrect”.
“The map of India depicted here is incorrect. Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India, and I think the map presented here is not correct,” the second secretary said.
Following the objection, ambassador Karim tried to clarify that the map was used for “representational purposes only” and “doesn't project actual boundaries”.
{{/usCountry}}Following the objection, ambassador Karim tried to clarify that the map was used for “representational purposes only” and “doesn't project actual boundaries”.
{{/usCountry}}“I understand, sir, but Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India, and it is misrepresented here. So I just wanted to point it out,” Jha replied.
Ambassador Karim seemed to agree with the stance after asking whether the diplomat was from India, to which Jha gave her full introduction.
“Point noted,” he said and continued with his presentation.
Bangladesh minister bats for deeper regional cooperation
Meanwhile, speaking at the seminar, Bangladesh's State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shama Obaed, underlined the importance of deeper regional cooperation within South Asia and urged bridging the gap between potential and performance.
She listed key measures to revive the body and said, “The organisation needs stronger implementation capacity, greater financial strength, more effective specialised mechanisms and a practical culture of follow-up.”
Significantly, Obaed mentioned that Bangladesh is mulling that after conversation with member countries of SAARC, it would coordinate closer cooperation between the partner countries for “convening of a senior officials meeting and the possibility of a special session of the Council of Ministers.”
"It is in the spirit that we are considering a calibrated set of confidence-building initiatives in the coming months, subject to consultation with the SAARC member states. They may include engagement with the Ambassadors and High Commissioners of SAARC countries based in Dhaka, as well as consultations with the SAARC Secretariat in Kathmandu regarding the convening of a senior officials meeting and the possibility of a special session of the Council of Ministers," Obaed said at the seminar.
She added, "We may also consider wider diplomatic outreach of the highest diplomatic level."