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, according to a letter. The request, made on Monday, is her first such communication since she fled the country in 2024.
It marks the clearest step yet toward her plan to return to Bangladesh in December, more than two years after a deadly uprising ended her long rule. Her party is now banned, and the move could raise fresh political and legal tensions.
Passport request and planned December return
Hasina’s lawyers at London-based Matrix Chambers wrote to Preeti Rahman, acting high commissioner at Bangladesh’s embassy in Delhi. They said her existing documents had reportedly been revoked by the interim government and other authorities, and asked that the applications be processed “expeditiously”.
Hasina has told a news agency she plans to return to surrender before a court. Her aides said the date would be announced once various formalities were completed.
Legal case and political divisions in Bangladesh
A war-crimes court sentenced Hasina to death in absentia in November last year for ordering a deadly crackdown on the student-led uprising. She has denied the charges from exile.
Hasina ruled Bangladesh for 20 years as prime minister across multiple terms. Her Awami League, once the country’s largest party, is now banned, and many of its colleagues have been jailed or are in exile. She still enjoys support among sections of the population, so a return could sharpen divisions as the government in Dhaka seeks stability.
Possible effect on ties with India
A return could also improve Bangladesh’s strained relations with India, which deteriorated sharply after New Delhi gave Hasina refuge. Rahman in Delhi and spokespeople for Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in Dhaka did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
