Ousted Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina has requested a new passport and national identity card from Bangladesh’s embassy in Delhi, according to a letter seen by Reuters and reported by Dawn. The request comes as she plans to return to Bangladesh in December.
Her lawyers at London-based Matrix Chambers asked Bangladesh’s acting high commissioner in Delhi, Preeti Rahman, to issue the documents. They cited the reported revocation of her existing passport and national identity card. The request was made on Monday and is her first such communication since she fled in 2024, according to Dawn.
The revocation has not been confirmed by the government in the sources available. Neither Preeti Rahman nor spokespeople for Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in Dhaka had responded to requests for comment, according to Dawn.
Hasina told Reuters she plans to return to surrender before a court, according to Dawn. Her aides said the date would be announced once various formalities were completed. No return date has been announced.
Bangladesh’s war crimes court sentenced Hasina to death in absentia last November for ordering a deadly crackdown on student protests, according to Al Jazeera. She has denied the charges from exile.
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said the foreign and law ministries were examining whether there was a legal basis for the applications and whether Hasina was entitled to apply, according to the New Age daily, as relayed by Al Jazeera. Junior Foreign Affairs Minister Humaiun Kobir said Bangladesh wants Hasina returned under an extradition treaty with India, which New Delhi has declined to do, Al Jazeera reported.
Hasina ruled Bangladesh as prime minister from 1996 to 2001 and again from 2009 to 2024. Her Awami League party was banned after her fall. She was ousted by a student-led mass protest movement that began after the Supreme Court restored a job quota system.
Al Jazeera reports UN estimates that as many as 1,400 people may have been killed during the unrest. That figure comes from a single outlet, and the UN phrased it as a possibility.
Dawn reports that a return could sharpen political divisions, or could improve strained ties with India, which soured after New Delhi gave her refuge.
Dhaka’s foreign and law ministries must now decide whether Hasina can legally apply for documents. Most of the key details rest on Dawn and Al Jazeera, and the Japan Times item could be verified only as a headline and short excerpt.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.