Former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina has sought a fresh passport and national identity card from Bangladesh’s diplomatic mission in New Delhi, taking a step towards her stated plan to return home in December, more than two years after fleeing the country following a student-led uprising that ended her rule.
In a letter sent to Bangladesh’s diplomatic mission in New Delhi, a legal representative of Hasina has urged the country’s top diplomat to take the necessary steps to issue her a passport and national identity card. Her existing documents were reportedly revoked by the authorities following her ouster in August 2024.
“This is a significant step towards her homecoming. Having had her documents revoked by the previous regime, Her Excellency looks forward to reclaiming her fundamental rights as a Bangladeshi citizen and receiving the necessary documents,” Abu Obaidha Arin, an aide to Hasina, told The Associated Press.
“She is determined to return to Bangladesh by December, and she will undoubtedly return home,” he added.
Hasina had told the AP in an interview earlier this month that she intended to return to Bangladesh in December “at any cost”.
Death sentence, extradition demand complicate Hasina’s return
Her proposed return, however, comes amid significant legal and diplomatic hurdles. Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal sentenced her to death in November 2025 for crimes against humanity, holding her responsible for ordering the crackdown on protesters during the 2024 uprising.
The United Nations estimated that nearly 1,400 people were killed during the crackdown. Hasina has denied wrongdoing, rejected the tribunal’s verdict and questioned the legitimacy of the trial.
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Dhaka has repeatedly sought her extradition from India under the bilateral extradition treaty between the two countries. India has so far declined to hand her over.
“We want Hasina to be handed over. She will be handed over. She is a terrorist. She is a fugitive. There is an active extradition treaty between Bangladesh and India,” Junior Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir told reporters in Dhaka.
Hasina has been in India since August 2024
Hasina has remained in India since August 5, 2024, when she left Bangladesh following weeks of student-led protests that brought an end to her two-decade-long tenure in power.
After her departure, Bangladesh was governed by an interim administration before holding parliamentary elections in February this year. Hasina’s Awami League was barred from contesting the polls, which brought Tarique Rahman, son of her long-time political rival Khaleda Zia, to power in a landslide victory.
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Her request for fresh travel and identity documents now puts her stated December return plan in focus, even as questions remain over how Dhaka will respond to her arrival and the legal proceedings awaiting her.
(With inputs from agencies)