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Northeast India under Bangladesh? Yunus' gift to Pakistan general stirs row
The distorted map first sparked a row in April 2025 after it was displayed at an exhibition at the University of Dhaka.
Bangladesh's interim head Muhammad Yunus has sparked a row after his controversial gift to a Pakistani general. His gift included a distorted map of Bangladesh, which includes Assam and other northeastern states as part of the country.
The gift was presented to Pakistan's Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee chairperson, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, during his visit to Dhaka.
The image of the gift, which was shared on Yunus' official X account, shows a book titled "Art of Triumph: Bangladesh's new dawn", - which can be seen as an ode to the 2024 student movement, which toppled the Sheikh Hasina government.
However, the distorted map has sparked a row.
Map depicts concept of 'Greater Bangladesh'
'Greater Bangladesh' is a concept championed by Dhaka-based Islamist outfit "Sultanat-e-Bangla". This map of Bangladesh includes India's entire Northeast region, West Bengal, and parts of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, as well as Myanmar's Arakan state.
The distorted map first surfaced in April 2025 after it was displayed at an exhibition at the University of Dhaka held on Pohela Baishakh, the Bengali New Year in April.
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The issue was later raised in the Rajya Sabha by Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala in August 2025.
The map was also shared in 2024 after a close aide of Yunus, Nahidul Islam, floated the idea of "Greater Bangladesh" by sharing a map which included parts of West Bengal, Tripura, and Assam as Bangladesh.
Yunus' second reference to northeast
The presentation of this map is not the first time the Bangladesh leader has invoked northeast India. During his visit to China in April, Yunus championed Dhaka as the "only guardian of the ocean" for the region, adding that India's northeast remains landlocked.
"The seven states of India, the eastern part of India... they are a landlocked country. They have no way to reach out to the ocean," Yunus was quoted as saying.
Following this remark, EAM Jaishankar reaffirmed the strategic importance of India's northeast, referring it as a connectivity hub for Bimstec - Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
Furthermore, since the toppling of the Hasina government, ties between India and Bangladesh have also reached a snag, especially with Yunus working on closer ties with China and Pakistan.
Ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina's exile in India is also an added source of tensions between the neighbouring countries.
India's territorial disputes
This is also not the first time Indian states have been included in a neighbouring nation's map.
India continues to face territorial disputes with China. Despite a thaw in ties, China has repeatedly claimed sovereignty over India's Arunachal Pradesh, which is often regarded as South Tibet by China, and the Aksai Chin region in Ladakh.
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In 2023, a map released by the Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources sparked a row in India as it depicted Aksai Chin — and Arunachal Pradesh as Chinese territories.
Following this, India lodged a strong protest with the Chinese foreign ministry.
Furthermore, India continues to be in conflict with Pakistan over Kashmir. Islamabad has claimed sovereignty over the union territory which is currently divided into Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
