The High Commission of Bangladesh has received a request from deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina seeking a fresh passport, a source in Dhaka has informed. The official has said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangladesh is in the process of verifying the letter and will take a decision after internal consultation. Ms. Hasina’s passport was cancelled soon after she escaped to India in August 2024 after an uprising that toppled her government.
“We have received an email from Matrix Chambers, a law firm in London seeking a new passport for Sheikh Hasina. We are currently examining the content of the letter and will take an appropriate step after internal consultation,” said the source speaking to The Hindu over phone.
Ms. Hasina held a press conference on August 5 this year at the Foreign Correspondents Club where she had expressed her plans to return to Bangladesh in December. The announcement was followed by repeated assertion by the Awami League’s leaders who are based in India that Ms. Hasina will act on her announcement. As per sources in Awami League, Ms. Hasina may choose to return through one of the land ports with India including Benapole-Petrapole.
Ms Hasina has been living in New Delhi since being overthrown in a student-people uprising in 2024 July-August. The movement started against the abolition of quota system that ensured employment for families of the guerrillas of the 1971 Liberation War.
The movement escalated and turned into a protest against Ms. Hasina after a police crackdown in mid-July 2024 led to death of hundreds of students and common citizens ultimately leading to her escape on August 5 that year. The International Crimes Tribunal, a special tribunal that was constituted in November 2025 delivered a death sentence for Ms. Hasina. The verdict was however criticised later as it was passed without representation from Ms. Hasina or her legal team.
Ms. Hasina has so far refused to apologise for the police crackdown. In a written interview with The Hindu earlier this year, she said, “When police are working in the field, how can they contact the Prime Minister for every action? Police operate under standard operating procedures. They are trained to handle emergencies, crowd control and violent situations. When police personnel were attacked and killed, and police stations were set on fire, they responded according to the situation. How could I personally order officers in those circumstances? The police handle such situations under their SOP.”
