October 28, 2025
DHAKA – The Chief Adviser’s Office has dismissed Indian media reports claiming that Prof Muhammad Yunus presented a flag, featuring an altered map of Bangladesh incorporating India’s northeast, to a top Pakistani military official as “completely false and imaginary”.
The clarification came in a statement from the chief adviser’s press wing on Monday evening, following reports by leading Indian media outlets alleging that during a recent meeting, Prof Yunus presented the flag featuring the map to General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, chairman of Pakistan’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.
Clarifying what was actually presented, CA’s press wing said, “In fact, Chief Adviser Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus presented to the Pakistani General The Art of Triumph, a collection of colourful and diverse graffiti drawings painted by students on various walls throughout the country, including the capital Dhaka, during the July mass uprising.”
The book, published by the July Memorial Foundation, serves as an illustrated document of the uprising and includes “historical images of the revolution achieved through the sacrifice of students and the public.”
Addressing the controversy over the map on the cover, the statement said, “On the cover of the graffiti collection, behind martyr Abu Sayed of the July mass uprising, a blood-red map of Bangladesh is displayed.”
It noted that while the map’s proportions may appear distorted due to the graffiti style, “claiming that any part of India’s northeastern region is included in the graffiti map is completely false and imaginary.”
A comparative analysis between the actual map of Bangladesh and the graffiti version shows it “almost exactly reflects the real map of Bangladesh,” it added.
The collection has also been gifted to other world leaders including the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, former US president Joe Biden, and former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, the press wing mentioned.
The statement urged the media to refrain from spreading misinformation and encouraged fact-checking before publishing sensitive geopolitical content.