Hasina seeks new passport and NID to return from India

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Ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina has applied for a new Bangladeshi passport and national identity card (NID), reportedly to facilitate her return from India, news agency Reuters reported on 9 November.

According to Reuters, the application marks Hasina's first formal communication with Bangladeshi authorities since she fled the country in 2024. The news agency cited a letter dated Monday that it had reviewed.

The letter was addressed to Preeti Rahman, acting high commissioner at the Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi. In the letter, lawyers from Hasina's London-based law firm, Matrix Chambers, said they understood that the interim government and other authorities had revoked her existing Bangladeshi passport and NID.

"In the circumstances, we humbly request that necessary steps be taken to issue a new Bangladeshi passport and national identity card for her," the lawyers wrote.

They also requested that the applications be processed in the "fastest possible time", citing Hasina's Bangladeshi citizenship and the country's obligations under international human rights charters, Reuters reported.

Neither Preeti Rahman nor spokespersons for Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in Dhaka immediately responded to Reuters' requests for comment.

However, on 5 November, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir told reporters that the government would not issue Hasina a passport or travel pass to facilitate her return. He said the government intended to bring her back through the existing extradition treaty between Bangladesh and India.

Kobir described Hasina as a fugitive and accused her of being involved in terrorism. He questioned why she should be issued a passport when an extradition treaty was already in place to facilitate the return of individuals accused of crimes.

He further said that the government wanted India to hand her over through the judicial process under the bilateral extradition agreement.

On 8 November, Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman also said the government would take all necessary legal measures to bring Hasina back under the prisoner exchange treaty.

Speaking after inaugurating a workshop for subordinate court judges, he expressed hope that India would return her under the agreement, adding that the government had already taken the necessary legal steps.