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Hasina Requests Passport to Return Home After Exile
· Confirmed
In Short: Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been living in India for two years, has requested a new passport and identity card to facilitate her return home, according to Al Jazeera and The Indian Express.
People cheering in front of the Prime Minister's Office after Sheikh Hasina's resignation.
Sheikh Hasina’s Return to Bangladesh? Ex-PM Seeks New Passport Amid Political Uncertainty | News18. CNN-News18
Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been living in India for two years, has requested a new passport and identity card to facilitate her return home, according to Al Jazeera and The Indian Express. She has promised to return to Bangladesh by December, as cited by Reuters and The Indian Express.
Al Jazeera reports that Hasina served as prime minister from 1996 to 2001, and again from 2009 to 2024, making her the longest-ruling prime minister in Bangladesh’s history. The Indian Express adds that she fled to India in August 2024 after student-led protests forced her from power.
Both publications agree that Hasina’s return could have significant political and legal implications for Bangladesh. Al Jazeera notes that her return could impact the government’s efforts to stabilize the country and its economy after two years of disruption, while The Indian Express highlights her continued support among sections of the population.
Al Jazeera cites Hasina’s letter to the Bangladeshi government, which asked that her request be processed “expeditiously” on the basis of her Bangladeshi nationality. The Indian Express reports that Hasina told Reuters she intends to surrender before a court in Bangladesh, with her aides saying the date would be announced once formalities are completed.
The Indian Express and Al Jazeera both report that Hasina’s return could smooth relations with India, which deteriorated after she fled there in 2024. However, The Indian Express notes that Hasina’s first communication since her ouster was her request for new documents on Monday.
Arabnews and Bozeman Daily Chronicle confirm that the government has been seeking Hasina’s extradition from India and dismissed suggestions she needed new identification documents to return home. The Indian Express adds that Hasina told The Associated Press she would return to Bangladesh in December at any cost.
Al Jazeera and The Indian Express both cite United Nations estimates that nearly 1,400 people were killed during the protests that led to Hasina’s ouster. Al Jazeera notes that Bangladesh’s war crimes court sentenced Hasina to death in absentia last November for ordering a deadly crackdown on student protests.
Both publications agree that Hasina’s return could raise legal and political issues in Bangladesh, with The Indian Express noting that she still enjoys support among sections of the population. Al Jazeera adds that her return could impact the government’s efforts to stabilize the country and its economy.
Al Jazeera and The Indian Express both report that Hasina’s aide Abu Obaidha Arin told The Associated Press that she is determined to return to Bangladesh by December and reclaim her fundamental rights as a Bangladeshi citizen.
The Indian Express and Al Jazeera both report that Bangladesh’s junior minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir said the country wants Hasina to be handed over under an extradition treaty with India. However, Al Jazeera notes that some officials in Bangladesh have called Hasina a terrorist and a fugitive.
Both publications agree that Hasina’s return could have significant implications for Bangladesh’s political and legal landscape, with The Indian Express noting that she is preparing to return to face imprisonment.
In summary, both Al Jazeera and The Indian Express agree that Hasina’s request for a new passport and identity card marks a significant step toward her homecoming, despite the potential legal and political challenges it may bring.
What's confirmed
- Hasina told the news agency Reuters that she intended to surrender before a court in Bangladesh, and her aides said on Monday the date would be announced once various formalities were completed.
- Bangladesh’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has requested a new passport and identity card to allow her to return from self-imposed exile in India.
- The government has been seeking her extradition from India and earlier dismissed suggestions she needed new identification documents to return home.
- The United Nations has said nearly 1,400 people were killed.
- Hasina told The Associated Press in an interview this month that she would return to Bangladesh in December at any cost.
- FILE - Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrives to attend The Queen's Dinner during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) at Buckingham Palace in London on April 19, 2018.
- Former Bangladeshi 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.
- In a letter seen by The Associated Press that was emailed to Bangladesh’s diplomatic mission in New Delhi, a counsel of Hasina urged the top diplomat to take necessary action to provide her a passport and national identity card.
- “This is a significant step toward her homecoming. Having had her documents revoked by the previous regime, Her Excellency looks forward to reclaiming her fundamental rights as a Bangladeshi citizen and receiving the necessary documents,” Abu Obaidha Arin, an aide to Hasina, told the AP.
- On Thursday, junior minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir said Bangladesh wants Ms Hasina to be handed over under an extradition treaty with India.
- Bangladesh's military sent Hasina to India after student-led protests forced her from power on 5 Aug 2024.
- An interim government led Bangladesh after Hasina’s ouster and held an election in February that Hasina’s Awami League party was barred from contesting.
What's still developing
- Hasina is the daughter of Bangladesh’s founder and first president, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
- A federal judge approved a request by the Department of Homeland Security to raid Omar’s house last week and seize her phone, passport, notebooks, and personal computers.
- This comes after the exiled leader said she will return to Bangladesh, calling the move her “ struggle to bring back democracy, rule of law and voting rights in the country”.