Indian diplomat protests depiction of wrong map showing J&K in Pakistan at Dhaka seminar

India has lodged a protest at a foreign affairs seminar after a Bangladeshi diplomat depicted Kashmir as being part of Pakistan. The matter was brought up by the second secretary at the Indian High Commission, Pooja Kumari Jha.

Former ambassador Tariq A Karim presented the map during a keynote address at the seminar organised by the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies.

"The map of India depicted here is incorrect. J&K is an integral and inalienable part of India, and I think the map presented here is not correct," Jha said as soon as she saw the map while being part of the audience.

Karim, however, said that the map was for "representational purposes and did not project actual boundaries".

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A few months ago, Nepal’s national flag carrier, Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC), issued a formal apology following a wave of international backlash over a promotional graphic that incorrectly showed the boundaries of Jammu and Kashmir as part of Pakistan.

The controversy arose after the airline’s social media handles shared a route map and a promotional advertisement. In the graphic, the entire union territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh were shaded as part of Pakistan’s territory rather than India’s.

The image quickly went viral on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook, drawing flak from Indian users who accused the airline of “cartographic aggression.” Soon after, the hashtag #BoycottNepalAirlines began trending, with users tagging the Indian Ministry of External Affairs and the Civil Aviation Ministry to demand a formal diplomatic protest.