An exchange over the depiction of Jammu and Kashmir during a foreign policy seminar in Dhaka has attracted widespread attention online after an Indian diplomat promptly objected to an incorrect map before organisers clarified its intended use.
The incident took place on Monday at the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) during a seminar titled Rebuilding Trust, Renewing Regional Integration: Pathways for Revitalising SAARC.
As a map displayed during the presentation depicted Jammu and Kashmir as part of Pakistan, Puja Jha, India’s Second Secretary at the High Commission in Dhaka, immediately raised an objection.
“Sir, this is an incorrect map. Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India," Jha said.
Responding to the objection, former diplomat Tariq A. Karim explained that the map had been used for “representational purposes only" and “doesn’t project actual boundaries".
Jha replied, “I understand, sir, but Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India, and it is misrepresented here. So I wanted to point it out."
Karim then asked whether Jha was from India, after which the Second Secretary at the Indian High Commission introduced herself.
“Point noted," Karim said before resuming his presentation.
The episode marks the latest instance in which Indian diplomats have publicly challenged what New Delhi considers inaccurate representations or allegations relating to the country at international forums.
Earlier, on June 5, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, P. Harish, exercised New Delhi’s Right of Reply at the UN General Assembly after Pakistan referred to Jammu and Kashmir during a debate on the Security Council’s annual report. Harish said Jammu and Kashmir “is and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India", accused Pakistan of “peddling false and biased narratives", and reminded Islamabad that membership of the UN Security Council carried a “huge responsibility".
Since then, the exchange in Dhaka has gone viral on social media, with many users praising Jha for immediately objecting to the map’s depiction of Jammu and Kashmir.
