The Bangladesh government has refused to issue a new passport to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir said Hasina, who is facing a death sentence, cannot be given a passport like an ordinary citizen. He made it clear that Bangladesh will use the extradition treaty existing between the two countries to bring her back from India.
The statement came at a time when Hasina’s London-based lawyers sent a letter on November 9 to the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi, requesting that a new passport and national identity card be issued for her. Hasina has been living in India since being removed from power in August 2024. She has expressed a desire to return to Bangladesh in December and appear before the court.
Minister Kabir said Hasina is a fugitive criminal and that judicial proceedings are under way against her. In such a situation, he said, instead of giving her a passport, Bangladesh will seek her handover from India through extradition. He said an active extradition treaty exists between the two countries and her return can be secured under it.
Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said the authenticity and legal basis of Hasina’s application are being examined. India’s Ministry of External Affairs had earlier said on the extradition request that the matter is under consideration in accordance with established legal procedures.
Notably, in November 2025, Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Hasina to death in absentia in a case involving crimes against humanity linked to action taken during the 2024 student movement. Hasina denies the allegations and has continued to question the validity of the trial.
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