For twenty years, Sheikh Hasina stood at the center of Bangladeshi politics, defining an era of governance that ended abruptly in August 2024. A massive, student-led uprising swept through the streets of Dhaka, challenging her authority and ultimately forcing her to flee across the border into India. The transition was not merely a change in administration; it was a total dismantling of the status quo that had held for two decades. Since that moment of departure, Hasina has remained in India, a figure of immense controversy, while the interim government in Dhaka has moved to systematically erase the remnants of her influence, including the banning of her political vehicle, the Awami League.
In a move that has sent ripples through diplomatic circles, Hasina has now taken a formal step to reclaim her connection to the state she once led. On November 9, 2025, her legal representatives from the London-based firm Matrix Chambers directed a formal request to Priti Rahman, the Acting High Commissioner of the Bangladesh Embassy in New Delhi. The request was clear and pointed: Hasina requires a new Bangladeshi passport and a national identity card. Her previous documents, which once granted her the full authority of the state, were revoked by the interim government following her ouster.
Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh’s ousted former prime minister, has asked the government to issue her a new passport and national identity card https://t.co/1J4ihN6fGG
The legal argument presented by Matrix Chambers rests on a foundational principle of citizenship. They contend that regardless of the political upheaval, their client remains a Bangladeshi citizen and is entitled to the documentation necessary to exercise her rights under international human rights law. This request is not presented as a political favor, but as a procedural necessity for a citizen who intends to return to her homeland. The Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi, however, has maintained a studied silence, offering no official response to the demand for travel documents.
The urgency of this request is underscored by the precarious legal reality Hasina faces at home.
The urgency of this request is underscored by the precarious legal reality Hasina faces at home. In November 2025, the International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh reached a definitive, if controversial, conclusion regarding her tenure. She was sentenced to death in absentia, a judgment stemming from allegations that she ordered lethal actions against protesters during the 2024 student uprising. Hasina has consistently denied these charges, framing the legal proceedings against her as politically motivated. Despite the severity of the sentence, reports suggest she is preparing to return to Bangladesh in December to surrender before a court, a move that would represent a dramatic confrontation with the judicial system that has condemned her.
Exclusive: Ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina requested a new passport and identity card so she can return from self-imposed exile in India, her first such communication since fleeing in 2024 https://t.co/eDVkAWtP57
While Hasina’s lawyers focus on the mechanics of travel, the government in Dhaka is pursuing a different, more aggressive path. Officials have urged India to bypass the passport issue entirely, calling instead for her extradition under the bilateral treaty between the two nations. The government argues that the ongoing legal proceedings and the standing death sentence necessitate her return to face justice, not as a returning citizen, but as a defendant. Humayun Kabir, reflecting the critical stance of the current administration, has dismissed the passport application as a distraction from the core issue: "It is not a matter of a passport. It is a matter of extradition. The judicial process is underway."
As December approaches, the situation remains a high-stakes standoff. On one side, a former leader seeks to re-enter the country of her birth, asserting her rights as a citizen; on the other, an interim government seeks to enforce a death sentence and hold her accountable for the violence of 2024. The request for a passport is more than a bureaucratic formality—it is a signal of intent. Whether the diplomatic channels between New Delhi and Dhaka can resolve this, or if the situation will escalate into a deeper crisis, remains the defining question for the final month of the year.
Bangladesh’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has requested a new passport and identity card to enable her return after two years of self-imposed exile in India. She has promised that she would return to Bangladesh in December. Read more https://t.co/2QsteS6q3T https://t.co/MdBByDLGHO