Bhubaneswar: India-Turkey Relations has been in hot water following the launch of ‘Operation Sindoor’ and Ankara’s perceived support for Pakistan.
India has seen growing calls to boycott Turkey and among the repercussions are trip cancellations, suspension of institutional partnerships, and the revocation of Celebi Aviation’s license.
However, Turkey’s involvement is no longer confined to Pakistan. It has become increasingly active in Bangladesh, India’s eastern neighbour, mirroring its approach with Pakistan. This came to the fore after a Turkish NGO-backed Islamist group in Dhaka, known as ‘Saltanat-e-Bangla,’ was found circulating maps of a so-called “Greater Bangladesh” that includes parts of India and Myanmar. The map marks Myanmar’s Arakan State, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and the entire Northeast region of India as part of ‘Greater Bangladesh’, the ET reported, citing high-level sources.
This map has surfaced in university halls across Dhaka, popular among students and youth. One image from April this year, captured at Dhaka University’s Teacher-Student Centre (TSC) during Pohela Boishakh (Bengali New Year), showed an individual posing with the map.
Notably, individuals aligned with the Yunus government have previously advocated for annexing India’s northeastern states into Bangladesh.
This development has heightened tensions between India and Bangladesh, especially amid deteriorating bilateral relations since the Md Yunus-led administration took over in Dhaka last year. Turkey has also since increased its engagement by offering military supplies to Bangladesh’s armed forces. Turkish NGOs, linked to the ruling AKP, have also become more active in Bangladesh, with Pakistan Pakistan reportedly playing a role in fostering stronger ties between Ankara and Dhaka
Experts on Turkish affairs have cautioned about the possible spread of Islamist ideologies, including those linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, in Bangladesh via these NGOs. “…The way Bangladesh is going, it was necessary for India to take some strict action. In Bangladesh, some movements have started, like ‘Greater Bangla’ and ‘Sultanate Bangla’, and they even show Bihar, Jharkhand and the Indian states of North East on their map… Bangladesh is trying to put pressure on India amid India-Pakistan tensions. Bangladesh’s economy is in a bad shape as of now, and this step will deteriorate that further…” said Foreign Affairs Expert Robinder Sachdeva after India imposed port restrictions on the import of certain goods from Bangladesh to India.
“…There are many maps floating around in Bangladesh by all the Islamist parties, the Jihadis – they’re talking about the greater Bangla and they’re talking about including (Indian) North East.. In that sense, he (Chief Adviser of Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus) is trying to say that I want to promote relations with North East India. This is the old BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal) that he’s trying to promote, but at the same time, he’s harming the exports and imports from North East India… I think our North Eastern states will now become more Atmanirbhar and develop their manufacturing,” former High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Veena Sikri told ANI.