Dhaka, November 2026 : Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has formally applied for a fresh Bangladeshi passport and National Identity Card (NID), signalling another step towards her stated intention of returning to the country in December and facing the legal proceedings against her.
The Awami League announced on Monday that Hasina, through her legal representatives at London-based Matrix Chambers, had approached the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi, seeking the issuance of new identity and travel documents. The party said her application cited her Bangladeshi nationality and the country's obligations under international human rights instruments.
The development comes amid reports that the previous Muhammad Yunus-led interim administration had revoked her existing passport and identity documents. Hasina's party described the fresh application as an important step towards facilitating her return after spending more than two years in India.
In a statement, the Awami League said Hasina remained determined to return to her homeland, where she intended to face the legal cases against her.
"The daughter of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Father of the Nation, Sheikh Hasina's roots, identity and political journey are inseparably connected to Bangladesh," the party said, asserting that her desire to return was linked to her national identity and fundamental right to return to her own country.
The passport request, however, comes against the backdrop of Dhaka's demand that India hand over the former Prime Minister under the existing extradition treaty between the two countries.
Last week, Bangladesh's State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir said the government wanted Hasina to be handed over by India and rejected suggestions that she would require a passport or other travel documents to return.
"We want Hasina to be handed over. She will be handed over," The Daily Star quoted Kobir as saying. He maintained that an extradition treaty was in force between Bangladesh and India and described the matter as one involving a judicial process rather than a routine return.
Hasina has been living in India since August 2024, when her government collapsed following widespread protests. She subsequently left Bangladesh amid the political upheaval and has remained outside the country.
In October, addressing a press conference virtually from Washington, Hasina reiterated her determination to return despite the possibility of arrest or threats to her safety. She said she could not remain away while her supporters and ordinary Bangladeshis continued to face difficulties.
"How risky it is, I don't care. I have to go back," she said.
The former Prime Minister also expressed gratitude to the Indian government and people for providing her refuge after her departure from Bangladesh. She compared the reception to the support she had received following the assassination of several members of her family in 1975, when she and her sister were outside the country.
The latest passport and NID application adds a new dimension to the question of Hasina's return. While the Awami League has presented it as an exercise of her citizenship rights, Dhaka has maintained that it wants her transferred through the extradition mechanism. The issue is likely to remain a significant point of contention in Bangladesh-India relations.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
