Indian diplomat objects to incorrect map at Bangladesh seminar, says J&K integral part of the country – watch video

India protested the use of an inaccurate map of the country at a seminar hosted by the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS), reaffirming its position that Jammu and Kashmir is an inseparable and sovereign part of India.

The issue arose during a presentation by Ahmed Tariq Karim, Bangladesh's former High Commissioner to India, at the seminar titled “Rebuilding Trust, Renewing Regional Integration: Pathways for Revitalising SAARC”, which was held at the BIISS auditorium on Monday.

Pooja Kumari Jha, Second Secretary at the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, promptly objected to the map's depiction, stating, "The map of India depicted is incorrect. Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India."

Soon after her intervention, former Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Ahmed Tariq Karim acknowledged the objection and said it had been taken on record.

Bangladesh's State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shama Obaed, attended the seminar as the chief guest.

Bangladesh underlines importance of deeper regional cooperation within South Asia

Meanwhile, addressing the gathering, Obaed stressed the need for stronger regional collaboration in South Asia, calling for greater efforts to close the gap between the region's untapped potential and its actual progress.

She outlined several steps to reinvigorate SAARC, saying the regional bloc requires enhanced implementation mechanisms, stronger financial resources, more effective specialised institutions, and a results-oriented culture of follow-up.

Obaed also revealed that Bangladesh is considering consultations with other SAARC member states to facilitate closer regional engagement, including the possibility of convening a meeting of senior officials and holding a special session of the Council of Ministers.

"It is in the spirit that we are considering a caliberated set of confidence-building initiatives in the coming months, subject to consultation with the SAARC member states. They maybe include engagement with the Ambassadors and High Commissioners of SAARC countries based in Dhaka as well as consultations with SAARC Secretariat in Kathmandu regarding the convening of a senior officials meeting and the possibility of a special session of the Council of Ministers," Obaed mentioned at the seminar, as per ANI.

She added, “We may also consider wider diplomatic outreach of the highest diplomatic level.”

US restores 'Indo-Pacific Command' to ‘US Pacific Command’, depicts inaccurate India map

The United States last month renamed the US Indo-Pacific Command as the US Pacific Command, reversing a designation that had been in place for the past eight years.

Announcing the move on Tuesday, the US Department of Defense said the change reflects the Command's historical legacy, tracing its origins to 1947 when it was established under former President Harry Truman.

The decision has also drawn attention in India after the Pacific Command's official website displayed a map showing the Command's area of responsibility that depicts India's boundaries inaccurately. The map omits Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Aksai Chin from Indian territory, prompting political reactions.

A disclaimer on the webpage noted that the section containing the map was last updated in March.

New Delhi has consistently maintained that the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are integral and inalienable parts of India, citing the "complete, legal and irrevocable accession" of Jammu and Kashmir to India in 1947.

The map controversy has also sparked political reactions, with the Opposition Congress slamming the BJP-led government over the issue.