Ousted PM Sheikh Hasina seeks passport in sign of Bangladesh return plan

Bangladesh’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has requested a new passport and identity card to allow her to return from self-imposed exile in India. The request is the clearest sign that Hasina, who has been living in India for two years, plans to make good on her promise that she would return to Bangladesh in December. Hasina told the Reuters news agency that she intended to surrender before a court in Bangladesh, and her aides said on Monday the date would be announced once various formalities were completed.

Bangladesh’s war crimes court sentenced Hasina to death in absentia last November for ordering a deadly crackdown on student protests that swept the country in 2024 . As many as 1,400 people may have been killed in the violence, according to United Nations estimates. Hasina’s letter to the Bangladeshi government, cited by Reuters, asked that her request be processed “expeditiously” on the basis of her Bangladeshi nationality.

Last week, Junior Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir said Bangladesh wants Hasina returned under an extradition treaty with India.