Hasina Asks India for New Passport to Return to Bangladesh

Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina requested a new passport on Monday to help her return to Bangladesh from exile. The application comes two years after student-led protests forced her out of office. She currently lives in India, where she has remained since the military escorted her across the border in August 2024.

Hasina told The Associated Press in an interview this month that she intends to return to Bangladesh in December. She stated she would make that move at any cost. Her legal team sent a letter to Bangladesh's diplomatic mission in New Delhi. The document urged the top diplomat to secure a passport and a national identity card for her.

Abu Obaidha Arin, an aide to Hasina, explained the purpose of the request. He said the former leader looks forward to reclaiming her rights as a Bangladeshi citizen. Her previous documents were revoked by the prior regime. Arin emphasized that Hasina is determined to be back by December.

The current government in Dhaka has pursued a different path. It has sought Hasina's extradition from India. On Thursday, Junior Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir told reporters that Bangladesh wants her handed over. He called her a terrorist and a fugitive. He noted that an active extradition treaty exists between the two countries. India has so far declined to hand her over.

A special tribunal sentenced Hasina to death in 2025 for crimes against humanity. The court ruled she ordered a crackdown that killed hundreds and injured thousands. The United Nations reported that nearly 1,400 people were killed during the unrest. Hasina denies wrongdoing and has challenged the verdict. She argues the trial lacks legitimacy.

An interim government led the country after her ouster on Aug. 5, 2024. That administration held an election in February. Hasina's Awami League party was barred from running in that vote. Tarique Rahman, the son of a longtime rival of Hasina, won a landslide victory to take power.