Sheikh Hasina Seeks New Passport in Dramatic Step Toward December Return to Bangladesh
By Paris Telegraph South Asia Correspondent, New Delhi
NEW DELHI, 10 November 2026 — Ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has asked Bangladesh’s diplomatic mission in New Delhi to issue her a new passport and national identity card, in what Reuters described as the clearest sign yet that she intends to return to Bangladesh in December.
Hasina’s lawyers sent the request to the Bangladeshi embassy, saying her existing passport and identity card had reportedly been revoked by the authorities. They asked for the documents to be processed quickly, citing her Bangladeshi nationality and international human rights obligations. The request does not mean the documents have been approved or issued.
Hasina has said she plans to return and surrender before a court. Her aides said the date would be announced once the necessary formalities were complete. She fled to India in August 2024 after a student-led uprising toppled her government.
The planned return would carry major legal and political implications. In November 2025, Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Hasina to death in absentia over her role in the deadly crackdown on protesters. She denies wrongdoing and has challenged the legitimacy of the proceedings.
Bangladesh has sought Hasina’s extradition from India, but New Delhi has not handed her over. Her return could renew political tensions in Bangladesh, where her Awami League party is banned, and test relations between Dhaka and New Delhi.
The Bangladeshi mission in Delhi and officials in Dhaka had not immediately responded to Reuters’ requests for comment. The passport and identity-card request is a formal step toward Hasina’s stated return plan, but the timing and circumstances of any return remain uncertain.
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