Sheikh Hasina seeks fresh passport for December return; Bangladesh demands extradition

Former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina has sought a new passport and national identity card from her country's mission in New Delhi to return home in December. Bangladesh, however, wants India to extradite her under a bilateral treaty, while its government is examining the validity of the reported applications and her legal eligibility.

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The request was made through her lawyers at London-based Matrix Chambers, who wrote to Preeti Rahman, the acting high commissioner of Bangladesh in India. They sought replacement documents after the former prime minister's passport and national identity card were reportedly cancelled by the previous interim administration.

The lawyers asked the mission to process the applications without delay, citing Hasina's Bangladeshi citizenship and the country's international obligations. 

Hasina has said she intends to go back in December and surrender before a court. In an interview with a news agency last week, she acknowledged that she could be arrested or imprisoned on her return.

Bangladesh rejects passport request, seeks extradition from India

Bangladesh's State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir said on Monday that Dhaka would not issue a new passport to Hasina and wanted her brought back through the existing extradition agreement with India. He argued that a person sought for extradition did not need a new passport to be handed over to the authorities.

"We want her to face justice. She is not coming here for a visit or a family trip," Kobir was quoted as saying by the Dhaka Tribune. Bangladesh has made repeated requests to India for Hasina's return, but New Delhi has not handed her over.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, meanwhile, said the government had yet to confirm the authenticity of reports about the applications. The foreign and law ministries were checking whether they had been properly submitted and whether Hasina was legally entitled to obtain the documents.

The Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi received a letter from the UK-based lawyers and forwarded it to Dhaka for verification, according to Dhaka Stream, which quoted the mission's press minister, Saidur Rahman. He said officials had not established whether the request had Hasina's authorisation.

Why Sheikh Hasina faces a death sentence in Bangladesh

Hasina left Dhaka for India on August 5, 2024, after weeks of protests that began over government job quotas and developed into a nationwide movement against her rule. A United Nations investigation estimated that as many as 1,400 people were killed during the unrest.

In November 2025, Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal sentenced her to death in her absence after finding her responsible for the deadly crackdown on demonstrators. Hasina has rejected the allegations and challenged the legitimacy of the proceedings. The conviction is central to Dhaka's continuing demand for her extradition.

Bangladesh politics after Hasina's removal

After her departure, an interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took charge. Parliamentary elections held in February 2026 brought Tarique Rahman's Bangladesh Nationalist Party to power. Hasina's Awami League was barred from contesting the polls and remains banned, while several of its senior figures have been arrested or have left the country.

Hasina has been living in India since her ouster. The Indian government has not publicly commented on the latest request for travel documents.

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