Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina has formally sought a new Bangladeshi passport and national identity card to facilitate her planned return from India in December, but the government on Monday made clear that it wants her brought back through the extradition treaty rather than allowing her to return as a traveller.
The development, first reported by Reuters, marks Hasina’s first known formal communication with Bangladeshi authorities since she left for India following the mass uprising in August 2024.
While State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir dismissed the application and insisted on extradition, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said the government was examining its authenticity, legal basis and procedural validity.
The International Crimes Tribunal’s chief prosecutor, meanwhile, described the move as a political stunt and questioned whether Hasina genuinely intended to return.
Lawyers seek fresh documents
According to Reuters, lawyers from London-based Matrix Chambers sent a letter on Monday to Preeti Rahman, acting high commissioner at the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi.
The lawyers requested a new passport and NID for Hasina, citing the reported cancellation of her existing documents by Bangladesh’s interim government and other authorities.
They urged the mission to process the applications expeditiously, referring to her Bangladeshi nationality and obligations under international human rights instruments.
Hasina has previously told Reuters that she intends to return to Bangladesh in December and surrender before a court.
The former prime minister was sentenced to death in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal in November 2025 over crimes against humanity committed during the crackdown on the 2024 student-led uprising.
She has denied the charges.
‘Let her return through extradition’
Responding to the development at the foreign ministry, State Minister Humaiun Kobir described Hasina’s application as “utterly ridiculous.”
He said Bangladesh would not issue an ordinary passport to facilitate the return of a fugitive convicted of serious crimes.
The state minister stressed that Bangladesh and India already had an extradition treaty and that Hasina’s return should be handled under that agreement.
“If she genuinely wants to return to Bangladesh, she should ask the Indian government to hand her over under the extradition treaty,” he said.
Kobir also criticised the British law firm representing Hasina, questioning the legal and ethical grounds for pursuing the application.
He acknowledged that individuals could engage lawyers and submit representations to authorities, but said doing so did not automatically establish entitlement to a passport.
According to media, diplomatic sources also questioned whether the application had been properly authorised, saying the email did not include a signed authorisation from Hasina.
The Bangladesh mission in Delhi forwarded the communication to the foreign ministry.
Home ministry reviewing legal position
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed adopted a more procedural position, saying the government was still verifying the reported application.
Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat, he said he had learned about the request through media reports but had not independently confirmed its authenticity.
The foreign and law ministries were examining whether the application had been submitted in accordance with the rules and whether Hasina was legally entitled to apply for the documents, he said.
The review would consider the relevant provisions of passport, citizenship and national identity laws.
Salahuddin reiterated that Bangladesh had already approached India through diplomatic channels seeking Hasina’s return under the bilateral extradition treaty.
He said the government would take the necessary steps after examining the legal issues.
‘Political stunt’
International Crimes Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam dismissed the application as an attempt to generate political attention.
“Whatever Sheikh Hasina is doing now is a political stunt. She will not come back,” he told reporters at the tribunal.
He said a formal press conference would be held on Tuesday, November 10, to explain the prosecution’s position on Hasina’s reported willingness to surrender.
The prosecutor’s remarks came as the government continued its efforts to secure the former prime minister’s return to face the consequences of the tribunal’s verdict.