Bangladesh head Yunus' controversial gift to Pakistani general raises eyebrows in India

Pakistan's General Sahir Shamshad Mirza called on Bangladesh Chief Adviser Yunus on Oct 26

Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has stoked yet another controversy after recently gifting an artwork titled “Art of Triumph” to Pakistan’s Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza.

The move has triggered concern within Indian intelligence agencies since the artwork reportedly shows India’s Northeast within an expanded Bangladeshi boundary, sources told CNN-News18.

Top intelligence sources said that the gesture may not be a routine diplomatic exchange since the artwork includes the controversial map, adding that it may be part of “psy-war" signal aimed at undermining India’s territorial integrity.

Earlier this year, during a visit to China in March 2025, Yunus had sparked controversy by referring to India’s northeastern “Seven Sisters” as “landlocked” and calling Bangladesh “the only guardian of the ocean” for the region. The remark was dismissed by the ministry of external affairs and drew widespread backlash from political leaders in India.

Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of Pakistan Calls on Chief Adviser

DHAKA, October 26: The visiting Chairman of Pakistan’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, paid a courtesy call on Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at the State… pic.twitter.com/A9QmFMHk4F — Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh (@ChiefAdviserGoB) October 26, 2025

According to the sources, the artwork’s imagery carries symbolic meaning and points to what they call a “covert alignment” between Dhaka’s interim regime and Pakistan’s military establishment. Moneycontrol had earlier reported that Pakistani's ISI seeks to use Bangladesh as a base to launch anti-India activities from the East.

Sources told News18 that the act was intended to signal Dhaka’s quiet endorsement of Pakistan’s long-standing anti-India narrative at a time when both nations appear to be recalibrating their regional messaging under foreign influence.

Analysts cited by the sources view the gesture as an attempt to symbolically erase Pakistan’s military defeat in 1971 and to project a renewed ideological partnership between Dhaka and Islamabad.

Intelligence officials also say the timing of the move is significant.

It coincides with a reported spike in illegal crossings along the Tripura and Mizoram borders, which security agencies link to Pakistan-backed Islamist NGOs operating through Bangladeshi networks. The pattern suggests a coordinated soft-power offensive using culture and diplomacy instead of terror proxies.

Diplomatic insiders have also pointed to Yunus’s alleged foreign backing. Notably, ties between India and Bangladesh have deteriorated since Yunus took charge of the country followed by the ouster of Sheikh Hasina, who was pro