India objected to the distortion of its map at an event in Bangladesh, where a diplomat from the Indian High Commission in Dhaka pointed out that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India.
Second Secretary Pooja Jha was attending a foreign policy seminar titled “Rebuilding Confidence, Renewing Regional Integration: Pathways to Revitalizing SAARC” at the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) in Dhaka on Monday, where former Bangladesh High Commissioner to India, Ahmed Tariq Karim, was making a presentation. Bangladesh Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Shama Ubaid, attended the event as the chief guest.
Note that the map showed Jammu and Kashmir being part of Pakistan, Pooja Jha boycotted the show and said it was “factually incorrect”.
“The map of India shown here is incorrect. Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India, and I believe the map shown here is incorrect,” the second secretary said.
After the objection, Ambassador Karim tried to clarify that the map was used “for representative purposes only” and “does not denote actual borders.”
“I understand sir, but Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and it has been misrepresented here. So I just wanted to point that out,” Jha replied.
Ambassador Karim appeared to agree with the position after being asked if the diplomat was from India, which Jha fully provided.
“I point to the point,” he said and continued his presentation.
Bangladesh Minister calls for deeper regional cooperation
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Shama Ubaid, while speaking at the symposium, stressed the importance of deepening regional cooperation within South Asia and urged bridging the gap between capabilities and performance.
She enumerated the basic measures to revitalize the authority, and said: “The organization needs stronger executive capacity, greater financial strength, more effective specialized mechanisms, and a practical culture of follow-up.”
It is worth noting that Obaid mentioned that Bangladesh is considering this after holding talks with member states SAARC will coordinate closer cooperation among partner countries to “convene a meeting of senior officials and possibly hold a special session of the Council of Ministers.”
“It is in this spirit that we are considering a range of confidence-building initiatives in the coming months, subject to consultation with SAARC member states,” Obaid said at the symposium. “These initiatives may include engagement with ambassadors and high commissioners of SAARC countries stationed in Dhaka, as well as consultations with the SAARC secretariat in Kathmandu regarding holding a meeting of senior officials and the possibility of holding a special cabinet session.”
“We may also consider expanding the scope of diplomatic outreach at the highest diplomatic level,” she added.
