Ex-Bangladesh PM Hasina applies for passport to return home
What's the story
Ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has applied for a new passport and identity card to return to Bangladesh from India, as per Reuters. This is her first such communication since fleeing in 2024. The request comes as she plans her return in December, more than two years after a violent uprising forced her out of power.
Legal proceedings
No response yet from acting high commissioner
Hasina's lawyers at London-based Matrix Chambers wrote to Preeti Rahman, acting high commissioner at Bangladesh's embassy in Delhi.
The letter requested the applications be processed "expeditiously" on the basis of her Bangladeshi nationality and international human rights obligations.
However, there has been no immediate response from Rahman or spokespeople for Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in Dhaka.
Political implications
Hasina still has support in Bangladesh
Hasina's Awami League party was the largest in Bangladesh before it was banned after her ouster.
Many of her party colleagues have either been jailed or are in self-imposed exile in India or elsewhere.
Despite this, she still has support among some sections of the population.
Her return could deepen political divides as Dhaka's government tries to stabilize after years of turmoil.
Legal consequences
Hasina sentenced to death last year
In November last year, Bangladesh's war-crimes court sentenced Hasina to death in her absence for ordering a deadly crackdown on the student-led uprising. She has denied these charges from exile.
Despite this, she plans to return and surrender before a court upon her arrival in Bangladesh.
Her return could also improve strained ties between Bangladesh and India, which deteriorated after New Delhi granted her refuge.