In a development that has stirred significant diplomatic tensions in South Asia, Bangladesh’s interim head, Professor Muhammad Yunus, has come under sharp criticism for presenting a controversial gift to a visiting Pakistani military official. The gift—a book titled *Art of Triumph: Bangladesh’s New Dawn*—includes a map depicting parts of India’s northeastern states and other territories as part of Bangladesh, a move that has sparked widespread condemnation from India and raised concerns about regional stability.
The incident occurred during the visit of General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Chairman of Pakistan’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, to Dhaka on October 26, 2025. During a courtesy call with Chief Adviser Yunus, the general was presented with the book that reportedly commemorates the 2024 student movement in Bangladesh, which led to the ousting of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government. An image shared on Yunus’ official X (formerly Twitter) account showed the book’s cover prominently featuring a map that controversially included Assam, Tripura, West Bengal, parts of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Myanmar’s Arakan state as integral parts of Bangladesh.
This map aligns with the so-called “Greater Bangladesh” concept, an expansionist notion promoted by certain Dhaka-based Islamist groups such as Sultanat-e-Bangla. This idea envisions Bangladesh’s borders extending well beyond their current limits to encompass large swathes of Indian territory in the northeast and eastern regions, as well as parts of Myanmar. The map first came to public attention during an exhibition held in April 2025 at the University of Dhaka to mark Pohela Baishakh, the Bengali New Year. The display ignited a political uproar in India, leading Congress Member of Parliament Randeep Singh Surjewala to raise the issue in the Rajya Sabha (the upper house of India’s Parliament) in August 2025.
The controversy surrounding the map is not an isolated occurrence. In 2024, Nahidul Islam, a close aide of Muhammad Yunus, had previously circulated a similar map that showed Indian states such as West Bengal, Tripura, and Assam as part of Bangladesh. These acts have been interpreted by Indian officials and observers as early signs of an emerging expansionist narrative being subtly promoted by certain factions within Bangladesh’s current leadership.
Professor Yunus himself has made statements that have heightened tensions regarding the status of India’s northeastern states. During an official visit to China in April 2025, Yunus described Bangladesh as the “only guardian of the ocean” for the region, emphasizing that the seven northeastern states of India are landlocked and lack direct access to the sea. He remarked, “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.” This comment was perceived as a challenge to India’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, especially given the sensitive geopolitical dynamics of the region.
India’s External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, responded firmly to these assertions by underlining the strategic importance of the northeastern region as a connectivity hub. He highlighted the role of the region in the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), a regional grouping involving Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Jaishankar stressed that the northeast is not isolated but rather a crucial link fostering regional cooperation and connectivity.
The diplomatic fallout from these developments must be understood against the backdrop of deteriorating ties between India and Bangladesh following the ousting of Sheikh Hasina’s government. Since the change in leadership, Bangladesh’s foreign policy has shifted, with Yunus reportedly strengthening relations with China and Pakistan, two countries that have often been at odds with India. The exile of Sheikh Hasina in India has further complicated bilateral relations, adding layers of political and diplomatic friction.
This latest episode is part of a broader pattern in the region where neighboring countries have occasionally depicted Indian territories as their own on official maps or through political rhetoric. India continues to grapple with longstanding territorial disputes with both China and Pakistan. The northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh is claimed by China as part of “South Tibet,” while China also controls the Aksai Chin region in Ladakh, a region administered by India but claimed by Beijing. These claims have led to frequent border stand-offs and have been a source of major diplomatic tension.
In 2023, India lodged strong protests