Muhammad Yunus Sparks Row After Gifting Map to Pakistani General Showing India’s Northeast as Part of Bangladesh

New Delhi: Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus has once again created a diplomatic stir by stepping into the sensitive matter of India’s northeastern region. This time, Yunus was seen presenting a Pakistani general with a controversial map that showed Assam and other northeastern states as part of Bangladesh. It happened when Pakistan’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee chairperson, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, visited Dhaka over the weekend and met Yunus. The meeting took place as both nations are showing signs of closer ties despite their troubled history since the 1971 Liberation War.

Did Yunus’s Meeting with Pakistani General Spark Controversy?

Yunus shared pictures of his meeting with a Pakistani general on a social media platform on Sunday. One of the shared images showed Yunus giving a book titled Art of Triumph to Mirza. The book’s cover displayed a distorted map of Bangladesh, including India’s seven northeastern states within its borders. The image quickly sparked anger online. The map seemed to match the claims of some radical groups calling for a “Greater Bangladesh”.

Many people criticised Yunus for interfering in India’s internal matters. India’s Ministry of External Affairs has not made any official statement on the issue yet. The incident comes at a time when Bangladesh-Pakistan relations have started to improve since Yunus took office in August 2024, after the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government during violent student protests.

Has Yunus Referred to India’s Northeast Before?

This is not the first time Yunus has spoken about India’s northeast region. In recent months, the Nobel laureate has made several remarks about the “landlocked” northeastern states during his foreign trips. During his first visit to China in April, Yunus upset New Delhi by saying that Bangladesh was the “only guardian of the ocean” for the area, since India’s northeastern states were “landlocked.”

He encouraged China to increase its involvement and economic influence in the region. “The seven states of India, the eastern part of India… they are a landlocked country. They have no way to reach the ocean,” Yunus said to Chinese officials. “We are the only guardian of the ocean for this region. This opens up big possibilities. It could be an extension of the Chinese economy,” he added.

How Did India React to Yunus’s Remarks?

India has always faced geographical challenges in connecting its northeastern region to the rest of the country through the narrow ‘Chicken’s Neck’ corridor in North Bengal. Over the last decade, India and Bangladesh worked together on transport routes during Hasina’s rule. But under Yunus, relations have reached a low point as Dhaka grows closer to Pakistan and China. Yunus’s comments led to strong reactions in India.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar stressed the importance of the northeast as a vital hub for connectivity in the BIMSTEC group, which includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. India later cancelled a shipment deal that had allowed Bangladeshi goods to pass through its land to Nepal, Bhutan, and Myanmar.

Are 'Greater Bangladesh' Claims Adding to Tensions?

Tensions increased further in May when Yunus’s close aide, Major General (retd) Fazlur Rahman, said Bangladesh should work with China to capture India’s northeastern states if a war broke out with Pakistan. His remark came after the Pahalgam attack by Pakistani terrorists that killed 26 people. Earlier in 2024, another Yunus associate, Nahidul Islam, posted a “Greater Bangladesh” map showing parts of West Bengal, Tripura, and Assam within Bangladesh.

The post caused a major uproar and was later deleted. Despite these controversies, Yunus has stayed silent. Many experts believe his continued comments about India’s northeast reflect an attempt to shift regional power balances while strengthening ties with China and Pakistan.