Ousted PM Sheikh Hasina Seeks New Passport to Return to Bangladesh in December

Ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has requested a new passport and national identity card so she can return from self-imposed exile in India, in the clearest sign yet of a Sheikh Hasina Bangladesh return in December — more than two years after the uprising that ended her long rule.

FAKTA

• Hasina asked on Monday for a new Bangladeshi passport and national identity card, according to a letter seen by Reuters — her first such communication since fleeing to India in 2024.
• The request is the clearest step yet toward her plan to return to Bangladesh in December.
• She has told Reuters she plans to return to surrender before a court, and her aides said the date would be announced once the formalities were completed.
• A war-crimes court in Bangladesh sentenced her to death in November 2025, in her absence, for ordering a crackdown on the student-led uprising. She denies the charges.
• Her Awami League party was banned after her fall, and many of her colleagues have been jailed or are living in exile.

A Letter to the Embassy in Delhi

The request was made in a letter from her lawyers at London-based Matrix Chambers to Preeti Rahman, the acting high commissioner at Bangladesh’s embassy in Delhi.

“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 said, according to Reuters.

The letter asked for the applications to be processed “expeditiously” on the basis of her Bangladeshi nationality and “obligations arising under international human rights instruments”.

Rahman in Delhi and spokespeople for Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in Dhaka did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A December Return, and a Death Sentence

Hasina has repeatedly said she intends to return to Bangladesh in December, telling the Associated Press last week that she was ready to come home even though she could face arrest, imprisonment or death.

Her path back is far from clear. Bangladesh’s war-crimes court sentenced her to death in November 2025, in her absence, for ordering a crackdown on the student-led uprising that ended her rule. She has denied the charges from exile.

The government in Dhaka has said it will not issue her an ordinary passport or a travel pass, and that it will seek her return through the extradition treaty with India. Bangladesh’s law minister said on Sunday that the matter would be dealt with in accordance with the law.

What the Sheikh Hasina Bangladesh Return Would Mean

Hasina ruled Bangladesh for 20 years as prime minister across multiple terms, and she still enjoys support among sections of the population. A return could sharpen political divisions as the government in Dhaka seeks to restore stability after more than two years of upheaval.

It could also improve Bangladesh’s strained ties with India, which deteriorated sharply after New Delhi gave her refuge following her flight in August 2024.

Her Awami League was the country’s largest party before it was banned following her fall. Many of her colleagues have been jailed or are living in self-imposed exile in India and elsewhere. More coverage of world affairs is available on Watan News International’s World news page.