Sheikh Hasina Requests New Bangladeshi Passport and ID Card, Signaling Planned December Return

NEW DELHI, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina requested a new passport and national identity card on Monday so she can return from self-imposed exile in India, according to a letter seen by Reuters. It is her first such communication since she fled the country in 2024. The Clearest Step Toward a Return The request is the clearest sign yet that Hasina intends to act on her plan to return to Bangladesh in December, more than two years after a deadly uprising ended her long rule. Her return could bring fresh political and legal tensions in a country where her party is now banned. Hasina has told Reuters she plans to return to surrender before a court. Her aides said on Monday that the date would be announced once various formalities are completed. In November last year, Bangladesh’s war-crimes court sentenced her to death in her absence for ordering a deadly crackdown on the student-led uprising. She has denied the charges from exile. What the Letter Says Her lawyers at London-based Matrix Chambers wrote to Preeti Rahman, acting high commissioner at Bangladesh’s embassy in Delhi. Citing the reported revocation of her existing Bangladeshi passport and National Identity Card by the interim government and other authorities, they asked the embassy to take the necessary steps to issue new documents. The letter asked that the applications be processed “expeditiously,” on the basis of her Bangladeshi nationality and in line with “obligations arising under international human rights instruments.” Rahman in Delhi and spokespeople for Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in Dhaka did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Political Stakes Hasina’s Awami League was the country’s largest party before it was banned following her fall. Many of her party colleagues have been jailed or are in self-imposed exile in India or elsewhere. Hasina ruled Bangladesh for 20 years as prime minister across multiple terms and still has support among sections of the population. A return could sharpen political divisions as the government in Dhaka tries to restore stability after more than two years of upheaval. On the other hand, it could improve Bangladesh’s strained ties with India, which deteriorated sharply after New Delhi gave her refuge.