An Indian diplomat publicly objected to the depiction of an "incorrect" map of India during a seminar in Dhaka, reiterating New Delhi's position that Jammu and Kashmir is an "integral and inalienable" part of the country.
The objection was raised by Pooja Kumari Jha, Second Secretary at the Indian High Commission in Bangladesh, during a presentation by former Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Ahmed Tariq Karim at a seminar titled "Rebuilding Trust, Renewing Regional Integration: Pathways for Revitalising SAARC".
The event was organised by the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) and was attended by Bangladesh's State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shama Obaed, as the chief guest.
As Karim was delivering his presentation, a map displayed on the screen showed Jammu and Kashmir in a manner that prompted an immediate intervention from the Indian diplomat.
Addressing the gathering, Pooja Kumari Jha said the map did not accurately represent India's territorial boundaries. "The map of India depicted is incorrect. Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India."
She further described the depiction as "factually incorrect" and reiterated India's longstanding position that the Union Territory forms an inseparable part of the country.
Responding to the objection, Karim clarified that the image used in his presentation was merely illustrative and was not intended to represent internationally recognised boundaries. "The map is for representational purposes only. It doesn't project actual boundaries."
While acknowledging the clarification, Jha maintained that it was important to place India's position on record. "I understand, Sir, but Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India, and it is misrepresented here. So I just wanted to point out."
Karim then asked whether she was representing India at the event, to which Jha identified herself as the Second Secretary at the Indian High Commission in Dhaka. "The point is noted," Karim responded before resuming his presentation.
The seminar subsequently continued with Karim's address on regional integration and the historical evolution of South Asia.
Speaking on the region's colonial legacy, Karim argued that the political boundaries inherited after independence had shaped the security outlook of South Asian nations. "Most South Asian states emerged from colonial rule with legal sovereignty, but also with congested identities, uneven institutions, and deep anxieties about territorial integrity."
He contended that colonial rule had transformed the political imagination of the region by encouraging states to prioritise territorial security over regional cooperation. "Colonialism did not merely draw borders. It reorganised political imagination. It encouraged elites to think of security primarily in territorial terms and to view neighbouring states as lesser partners and more as potential threats."
Karim further argued that before colonial consolidation, South Asia functioned as a far more interconnected region. "It was a layered region of empires, princely states, trading routes, pilgrimage networks, linguistic continuities and ecological zones. Communities moved, traded, worshipped, married and migrated across spaces that later became borders."
Drawing a parallel with the Partition of the Indian subcontinent, he said the division had fragmented societies and everyday life. "It divided families, markets, rivers, railways, ports, memories, and identities. It turned shared spaces into contested territories, and everyday mobility into a matter of passports, visas, suspicion and security clearances. One may5t think of Partition as a division of a family house."
