Lawyers identifying themselves as representatives of former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina have sought a new passport and national identity card for her from the Bangladesh mission in New Delhi. Reuters reported seeing the request, but diplomatic sources say the communication lacked proof of her authorisation. Neither document issuance nor a return journey has been confirmed.
A document request, not a confirmed journey
An email presented as a request on behalf of former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina marks a possible step toward a return from India, where she has lived since the mass uprising that ended her government in August 2024. Lawyers identifying themselves as her representatives asked Bangladesh's diplomatic mission in New Delhi to issue a new passport and national identity card. Reuters reported seeing the correspondence on November 9, 2026; the Associated Press also reported the request. The request gives substance to statements about returning home, but it does not establish that either document has been issued or that a journey is booked.
Hasina has said she intends to return in December and face the courts. Her aides told Reuters that a date would be announced after formalities were completed. Those are statements of intent, not an itinerary. Three decisions remain separate: whether Bangladesh accepts or grants the document request, whether travel out of India can take place, and how Bangladeshi authorities would handle her arrival. None is settled by the fact that an email or letter was sent.
Sources: Sheikh Hasina seeks new passport to return to Bangladesh, government denies request · Bangladesh's ousted leader Sheikh Hasina appeals for a new passport to return from exile
What the lawyers asked for
The communication was sent by lawyers associated with London-based Matrix Chambers to Bangladesh's acting high commissioner in New Delhi. According to the reporting organizations, it sought a replacement Bangladeshi passport and a new national identity card. The lawyers referred to the reported revocation of her existing documents and argued that her Bangladeshi nationality supported their request. That reported revocation should not be transformed into a claim that the newsroom has examined the underlying cancellation orders.
There is also an important distinction between correspondence and administrative acceptance. Diplomatic sources told Prothom Alo that the mission-received email contained no authorisation document or proof of Hasina's consent, so it could not yet be established that the request was made on her behalf; the mission confirmed receipt and referred the matter to Dhaka for instructions. Reuters reported seeing the communication, which is stronger evidence than an uncorroborated rumor; AP also reported the request. But neither account establishes that the mission accepted a complete statutory application, completed all procedural checks or approved issuance. The letter itself was not independently examined for this article. Readers should understand what the journalists could confirm while recognizing that a documentary trail can still stop well short of an official decision.
Sources: Sheikh Hasina seeks new passport to return to Bangladesh, government denies request · Bangladesh's ousted leader Sheikh Hasina appeals for a new passport to return from exile · Delhi mission receives email seeking new passport, NID for Hasina, forwards it to Dhaka: Report
Bangladesh has a new government and an unresolved legal case
The country Hasina might return to is not the one she left. Muhammad Yunus led an interim administration after her removal, but parliamentary elections took place on February 12, 2026, and Tarique Rahman became prime minister on February 17. Hasina's Awami League was barred from that vote and remains outside the formal political contest. The current government's position on her return therefore belongs to the post-election administration, not to a still-governing interim cabinet.
The legal risk is immediate. Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Hasina to death in absentia on November 17, 2025, in a case concerning crimes against humanity during the 2024 crackdown. She denies wrongdoing and disputes the proceedings. Human Rights Watch has raised fair-trial concerns about trials in absentia and the death penalty. Those concerns do not erase the tribunal's verdict, just as the verdict should not be confused with an executed sentence. Whether arrest, representation or appeal procedures would apply after a return requires examination of the judgment and current law, not speculation.
Sources: Bangladesh's ousted leader Sheikh Hasina appeals for a new passport to return from exile · Country policy and information note: political situation, Bangladesh (October 2026) · Bangladesh: Hasina Found Guilty of Crimes Against Humanity
Officials disagree on the path, not on whether a passport exists
On November 9, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said Bangladesh's foreign and law ministries were examining the authenticity, procedural basis and legal eligibility of the reported requests. His comments, carried by Bangladesh's state news agency and independent local outlets, did not amount to confirmation that a passport had been granted. Other reported Bangladeshi government comments took a harder line against issuing documents and pressed instead for extradition. These may represent distinct legal and political positions; they should not be flattened into a single completed administrative ruling.
Bangladesh has said it has sought Hasina's extradition from India under the countries' bilateral arrangements. India has hosted her since August 2024 without handing her over. That history matters, but an extradition request and a voluntary return are not identical processes, and India has not publicly confirmed that it will assist the latest document request. Nor does the available November 9 reporting establish the contradictory statements by Indian officials or a newly issued Indian visa described in some draft accounts. Those claims should not be published without independently identifiable evidence.
Sources: Sheikh Hasina seeks new passport to return to Bangladesh, government denies request · Bangladesh's ousted leader Sheikh Hasina appeals for a new passport to return from exile · Govt verifying legality of Hasina's NID, passport applications: Salahuddin
The uprising behind the dispute
Hasina's fall followed demonstrations that began with student grievances and broadened into a nationwide challenge to her rule. A United Nations human rights investigation later estimated that as many as 1,400 people may have been killed between July 15 and August 5, 2024. The UN concluded that the dead were mostly protesters shot by security forces and documented serious abuses linked to the former government and its supporters. The estimate is an attributed UN finding, not a final tally established by this article.
Questions of accountability for those deaths remain central to the national debate. Supporters of Hasina challenge the legitimacy of legal action against her, while families affected by the crackdown and human rights organizations have pressed for justice and due process. These are not interchangeable claims: the UN's investigative findings, the tribunal's conviction, Hasina's denial and outside assessments of procedural fairness each have different evidentiary standing. Covering the dispute accurately means giving readers those distinctions rather than suggesting a passport application resolves them.
Sources: Bangladesh: UN report finds brutal, systematic repression of protests, calls for accountability · Bangladesh: Hasina Found Guilty of Crimes Against Humanity
What would actually signal a return
With receipt of the email reported on November 9, the next meaningful administrative development would be an attributable decision by the responsible Bangladeshi authorities to accept the application, request proof of authorisation, refuse it or approve issuance. A second milestone would be verifiable travel arrangements or a formal public position from India. A third would be confirmation from the relevant Bangladeshi authorities of the legal procedures that would apply if Hasina entered the country. Each answer would narrow uncertainty, but none can safely be inferred from the others.
For now, the news is the request itself. It is significant because Hasina has moved beyond broad declarations of a December return to an identifiable communication about identity and travel documents. Yet the most consequential issues — official approval, a definite journey and the consequences of an existing death sentence — remain unresolved. A story about a possible homecoming must not be written as if that homecoming has already happened.
Sources: Sheikh Hasina seeks new passport to return to Bangladesh, government denies request · Bangladesh's ousted leader Sheikh Hasina appeals for a new passport to return from exile · Govt verifying legality of Hasina's NID, passport applications: Salahuddin · Delhi mission receives email seeking new passport, NID for Hasina, forwards it to Dhaka: Report
