A day after the Acting Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, Humayun Kabir, stressed that Dhaka would not issue a passport to deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and insisted on getting her extradited from India under an “acceptable prisoner exchange”, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday (November 10, 2026) that a “travel document” was needed for international travel.
“Extradition of former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina is a legal matter and it will be dealt with accordingly,” said Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in response to a question about Ms. Hasina’s presence in India. He described the passport’s requirement for extradition as a “technical issue” and said, “Obviously, for the travel of people, you need a travel document.”
Officials said Ms. Hasina can be extradited either on a Bangladeshi passport or an Emergency Certificate that would prove that she has Bangladeshi citizenship.
On Monday (November 9, 2026), Mr. Kabir cited the extradition treaty between India and Bangladesh, which was signed during the Hasina era in 2013, and said, “Bangladesh will not issue a passport to any terrorist; there is no provision for such an action. Bangladesh will seek the return of Sheikh Hasina through an acceptable prisoner exchange process.”
An official dealing with the matter told The Hindu on Monday (November 9, 2026) that a passport was required for extradition. The deposed Prime Minister has sought a new passport and a national identity document through a London-based law firm that has written to the Bangladesh government.
Bangladesh has a history of leaders going into exile or being imprisoned for long periods after returning. Current Prime Minister Tarique Rahman was in exile for nearly 17 years before he returned from the United Kingdom on December 25, 2025.
On August 5, 2026, Ms. Hasina had announced at a virtual press conference that she would return to Bangladesh in December this year.
Over the past few days, the law and order situation has deteriorated across Bangladesh, with incidents of violence, looting, and arson being reported. On Tuesday (November 10, 2026), Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party, which are in the Opposition, accused the government of failing to maintain law and order.
Leader of the Opposition, Shafiqur Rahman, said the country’s Home Ministry has failed to contain the situation. “Even the Army Golf Club has now witnessed cocktail explosions. Similar incidents have occurred in front of the Special Branch headquarters, at police station gates, and at Dhaka University, where explosions have taken place for three consecutive days. Two people were injured there,” he said.
