Sheikh Hasina seeks new Bangladeshi passport ahead of December return; Dhaka reacts

Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has formally requested a new Bangladeshi passport and National Identity Card (NID) from the High Commission in New Delhi, marking her clearest step yet towards a planned return to Bangladesh in December.

In a letter dated 9 November and written by her London-based counsel Steven Powles KC of Matrix Chambers, Hasina’s lawyers asked Acting High Commissioner Preeti Rahman to issue the documents. The letter states that her existing passport and NID had reportedly been revoked by the interim government and other authorities.

“In view of the reported revocation of her existing Bangladeshi passport and National Identity Card (NID) by the Interim Government and other authorities, I respectfully request that you take the necessary steps to issue a new Bangladeshi passport and National Identity Card for our client,” the letter reads. It cites her Bangladeshi nationality and “obligations arising under the laws of Bangladesh as well as any applicable obligations arising under international human rights instruments,” and asks for the applications to be processed expeditiously.

Also Read: 'I do hate some of my enemies, and I always will': Trump on forgiving his political rivals

Hasina, who has lived in self-imposed exile in India since leaving her country after massive protests in August 2024, has repeatedly said she intends to return in December. The precise date has not been given for when she plans to return in December.

In November 2025, Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal sentenced her to death in absentia for crimes against humanity over the deadly crackdown on the 2024 protests. Hasina has denied the charges, rejected the verdict, and questioned the fairness of the trial conducted in her absence.

Hasina’s Awami League remains banned, and her voluntary return would test both the new government’s handling of its most prominent opponent and the already strained relations between Dhaka and New Delhi.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Humaiun Kobir, has ruled out issuing a passport to ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, insisting she must be returned from India under an existing extradition treaty.

“She has been sentenced to death. Bangladesh does not provide passports to a terrorist. We want Hasina to be handed over. She will be handed over. She is a terrorist. She is a fugitive criminal. There is an active extradition treaty between Bangladesh and India,” Kobir told reporters.