New Delhi (TDI): Ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has requested a new passport and national identity card, marking her clearest move yet towards returning from exile in India, according to a letter seen by Reuters.
The request, submitted on Monday through her lawyers, comes as Hasina considers returning to Bangladesh in December, more than two years after a deadly student-led uprising brought an end to her long rule, according to Reuters.
Her aides said the date of her return would be announced once the necessary formalities had been completed. Hasina has previously told Reuters that she intends to return and surrender before a court.
In a letter addressed to Preeti Rahman, acting high commissioner at Bangladesh’s embassy in New Delhi, lawyers from London-based Matrix Chambers requested the issuance of new travel and identity documents for their client.
The lawyers said the interim government and other authorities had reportedly revoked Hasina’s existing Bangladeshi passport and national identity card.
“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 stated.
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It also asked the embassy to process the applications “expeditiously”, citing Hasina’s Bangladeshi nationality and obligations under international human rights instruments.
Hasina’s potential return could trigger fresh political and legal tensions in Bangladesh, where her Awami League party, once the country’s largest political organization, has been banned following her removal from power.
Several senior figures associated with the party have been jailed, while others have left the country and are living in exile in India and elsewhere.
Bangladesh’s war-crimes tribunal sentenced Hasina to death in November last year in absentia over charges that she ordered a deadly crackdown on the student-led uprising that ended her government. She has denied the allegations while living in India.
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The uprising in 2024 marked a dramatic turning point in Bangladesh’s politics, ending Hasina’s rule after she had served multiple terms as prime minister over a period spanning two decades.
Although she remains a divisive political figure, Hasina continues to enjoy support among sections of the population. Her return could deepen existing political divisions as the government seeks to restore stability following years of upheaval.
