Yunus sparks fresh row with map showing India’s North East as part of Bangladesh

Bangladesh’s interim head, Muhammad Yunus, has once again stirred diplomatic unease by wading into the sensitive issue of India’s northeast region.

This time, Yunus was seen presenting a Pakistani general with a controversial map depicting Assam and other northeastern states as part of Bangladesh.

Map shows India’s northeast in Bangladesh

Pakistan’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairperson, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, visited Dhaka over the weekend and met Yunus, a meeting that comes amid warming relations between the two nations, historically strained since the 1971 Liberation War.

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On Sunday (October 27), Yunus shared images of his meeting with the Pakistani general on social media. However, one photo showed him gifting a book titled 'Art of Triumph', whose cover featured a distorted map of Bangladesh, triggering massive outrage in India.

The map reportedly portrays India’s seven northeastern states as part of Bangladeshi territory, echoing the "Greater Bangladesh" narrative long pushed by certain radical Islamist groups.

Following the post, Yunus was widely criticised on social media for encroaching on India’s sovereign domain.

Yunus shifts towards Pakistan, China

The development comes amid a thaw in Bangladesh-Pakistan relations since Yunus assumed charge in August 2024, after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government in the wake of a violent student uprising.

India’s strategic access to the northeast via the 'Chicken’s Neck' corridor in north Bengal has long been a logistical challenge.

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Over the past decade, New Delhi had deepened transit cooperation with Dhaka under Hasina’s leadership. However, under Yunus, bilateral ties have deteriorated sharply, with Bangladesh seeking closer engagement with Pakistan and China.

'Landlocked country' jibe

This is not the first time Yunus has courted controversy over India’s northeast. In recent months, the Nobel laureate has repeatedly referred to the region as “landlocked” in international forums.

During his maiden visit to China in April, Yunus irked New Delhi by claiming that Bangladesh was the “only guardian of the ocean” for the region since northeast India was “landlocked.”

“The seven states of India, the eastern part of India... they are a landlocked country. They have no way to reach the ocean,” Yunus told Chinese officials.

“We are the only guardian of the ocean for this region. This opens up huge possibilities and could serve as an extension of the Chinese economy,” he added.

India reaffirms North East’s importance

Yunus’s remarks in China prompted a strong reaction in India. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reaffirmed the strategic importance of India’s northeast, describing it as a key connectivity hub for BIMSTEC — the grouping that includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

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In response, India cancelled a transhipment agreement that had allowed Bangladeshi goods to pass through Indian territory to Nepal, Bhutan, and Myanmar.

Tensions further escalated in May after Yunus’s close aide, Major General (retd) Fazlur Rahman, suggested that Bangladesh should collaborate with China to occupy India’s northeastern states if New Delhi attacked Pakistan, remarks made in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 civilians.

In 2024, another Yunus associate, Nahidul Islam, also courted controversy by sharing a “Greater Bangladesh” map showing parts of West Bengal, Tripura, and Assam as Bangladeshi territory. The post sparked widespread backlash before being deleted.