Sheikh Hasina applies for new passport in step toward return to Bangladesh from exile in India

Summary

Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has requested a new passport and identity card so she can return from self-imposed exile in India, according to a letter seen by Reuters. The request was made on Monday and is her first such communication since she fled in 2024. It is the clearest step yet toward her plan to return to Bangladesh in December, more than two years after a deadly student uprising ended her long rule. Reports say she plans to return to Bangladesh to surrender before a court. Her passport was cancelled soon after she fled to India in August 2024, and the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry is examining the request. The Hindu reported that Minister Humayun Kabir called Hasina a “terrorist” and dismissed the request, that Dhaka wants her extradited under a prisoner exchange, and that denying the passport could complicate any extradition by India, whose external affairs ministry had not responded. The move raises the prospect of fresh political and legal tensions in Bangladesh, where her party’s future is also in question.

Timeline

1. Hindustan Times

   9 Nov 2026, 03:37 UTCSource ↗

   Hindustan Times reports that Sheikh Hasina is seeking a new passport and ID card to return to Bangladesh after two years of exile in India, and plans to return in December.

2. South China Morning Post

   9 Nov 2026, 05:07 UTCSource ↗

   The South China Morning Post reports, citing a letter seen by Reuters, that Hasina requested a new passport and identity card on Monday, her first such communication since fleeing in 2024, as a step toward her plan to return to Bangladesh in December.

3. NDTV

   9 Nov 2026, 05:45 UTCSource ↗

   NDTV reports that Sheikh Hasina has asked for a new passport for a Bangladesh homecoming and said she plans to return to Bangladesh to surrender before a court.

4. The Japan Times

   9 Nov 2026, 06:04 UTCSource ↗

   The Japan Times reports that the request marks the clearest step by ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to act on her plan to return to Bangladesh in December.

5. ABC News

   9 Nov 2026, 09:07 UTCSource ↗

   ABC News reports that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has requested a new passport to facilitate her return from exile two years after she was ousted in a mass uprising.

6. The Hindu

   10 Nov 2026, 00:48 UTCSource ↗

   The Hindu reports that Hasina seeks a fresh passport, but Minister Humayun Kabir calls the ousted leader a “terrorist” and dismisses the request, and that Dhaka wants her extradited under a prisoner exchange.