The former Prime Minister aims to return from exile in India by December despite calls for her extradition.
Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina requested a new passport on Monday to help her return from exile, according to The New Indian Express. Her legal counsel sent a letter to a top diplomat requesting both a passport and a national identity card.
Abu Obaidha Arin, an aide to Hasina, said the request is a step toward her homecoming. He stated that she intends to return to Bangladesh by December and is looking to reclaim her rights as a citizen after her documents were revoked by the previous regime.
The Bangladesh government has been seeking Hasina's extradition from India. Junior Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir told reporters in Dhaka on Thursday that the government wants her handed over under an active extradition treaty, calling her a fugitive and a terrorist.
India has declined to hand her over. Hasina was sent to India by the military on Aug. 5, 2024, after she lost power during student-led protests.
In 2025, a special tribunal sentenced Hasina to death for crimes against humanity, holding her responsible for a crackdown that caused many deaths and injuries. The United Nations reported that nearly 1,400 people were killed.
Hasina denies any wrongdoing and has challenged the legitimacy of the trial and the verdict. Following her ouster, an interim government led the country before Tarique Rahman won a landslide election in February, in which Hasina's Awami League party was barred from contesting.
