E-Paper
S Jaishankar says Islamist group 'Saltanat-e-Bangla', backed by Turkish NGO, behind ‘Greater Bangladesh' map
Jaishankar said the government is closely monitoring developments with implications for national security and continues to take measures to safeguard it.
The government has taken note of an Islamic group in Dhaka, ‘Saltanat-e-Bangla’, which is backed by a Turkish NGO called the 'Turkish Youth Federation', that has put out a map of the so-called ‘Greater Bangladesh’ that includes parts of India, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said.
S Jaishankar, in a written statement in response to Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala's starred question in the Rajya Sabha, said the map in question was displayed at Dhaka University.
The EAM said the government is closely monitoring developments that have implications for India’s national security and continues to take all necessary measures to safeguard it.
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"The Government has taken note of reports that an Islamist group in Dhaka called the ‘Saltanat-e-Bangla’, backed by a Turkish NGO called the ‘Turkish Youth Federation’, has put out a map of the so-called ‘Greater Bangladesh’ that includes parts of India. The map was displayed in the Dhaka University," a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs quoted Jaishankar as saying.
"The Government of Bangladesh fact-checker platform, ‘BanglaFact’, claimed that there is no evidence of ‘Saltanat-e-Bangla’ operating in Bangladesh. It further clarified that the ‘map’ was displayed at a historical exhibition in reference to the so-called earlier Bengal Sultanate," the statement added.
The MEA statement said that the map in question was displayed at an exhibition held at Dhaka University on the occasion of Pohela Boisakh on April 14, 2025. It added that the organizers behind the exhibition denied any connections with any foreign political entity.
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The minister's statement came in response to Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala's starred question in the Rajya Sabha.
Surjewala had sought details from the government over a radical group in Bangladesh backed by Turkey and involved in promoting a ‘Greater Bangladesh’ map that includes parts of the Indian territory.
The Congress leader questioned if the government has raised the issue diplomatically with the Bangladesh government and whether the government has assessed the security implications of increased Turkish and Pakistani engagement in Bangladesh.
