Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Hasina Requests Passport to End Exile in India

Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has submitted an expedited application for a new passport and identity card to return to Bangladesh from self-imposed exile in India. Her aides confirmed on Monday that the former leader plans to return in December and surrender to judicial authorities in Dhaka.

Hasina was sentenced to death in absentia in November by a Bangladeshi war crimes tribunal for her role in a violent crackdown on anti-government demonstrations in 2024. United Nations estimates indicate that as many as 1,400 people were killed during those protests. In a letter sent to the government in Dhaka and cited by Reuters, Hasina requested the rapid processing of her travel documents on the grounds of her Bangladeshi nationality.

The mass student-led protest movement in 2024 erupted after Bangladesh's Supreme Court reinstated a civil service job quota system. The scheme had reserved public sector posts for descendants of veterans from the country's 1971 war of independence. Hasina subsequently fled to neighbouring India, where she has resided for the past two years. Her departure led to a sharp deterioration in diplomatic relations between Dhaka and New Delhi.

Hasina served as Prime Minister from 1996 to 2001 and again from 2009 until her removal in 2024, making her the longest-serving leader in the history of the nation of 127 million people. She is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding leader and first president of Bangladesh. Her anticipated return comes at a time when the current administration in Dhaka is attempting to initialise economic recovery following two years of political disruption.

According to statements provided by her aides, the precise date of Hasina's arrival and court appearance will be announced once administrative formalities regarding her identification papers are finalized. The Bangladeshi government has not yet issued a public statement regarding her request for new travel documentation.

Written by Martina Kirchner martina.kirchner@alpineweekly.com