Muhammad Yunus sparks controversy with controversial map on book presented to Pakistan military general

A controversy has broken out after Chief Adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh Muhammad Yunus met a high level Pakistani military visitor during the weekend when he gifted him a book that depicted parts of northeast India as part of Bangladesh. The map in question was printed on the cover of a book that was presented to Chairman of Pakistan’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Sahir Shamshad Mirza on at the state guest house Jamuna on Saturday (October 25, 2025).

The Indian side has not yet responded to the use of the map on the cover of the book titled Art of Triumph. Following the meeting, Mr. Yunus’s office announced that the two sides discussed “bilateral trade, investment, and defence cooperation.” The visit by General Mirza took place after the August 23-24 visit to Bangladesh by Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar who asked Bangladesh to “clean hearts” and move on from the painful memories of 1971 genocide by Pakistani military forces.

“Emphasising the shared historical, cultural and people-to-people ties between the two countries, General Mirza expressed Pakistan’s desire to strengthen cooperation in multiple sectors. He noted the vast potential for expanding trade, connectivity, and investment between Bangladesh and Pakistan,” said the Chief Adviser’s office in a press note.

India has not responded yet officially to the use of the flag on the book or about the visit of the high level military figure from Pakistan. But in December 2024, the Ministry of External Affairs had lodged a strong protest after a student adviser – Mahfuz Alam – had made a social media post showing the expanded map of Bangladesh that included parts of northeastern India. Mr. Alam had taken down the social media post and Bangladeshi sources had described the map as a ‘graffiti’ and not a proper map.