Dhaka: Bangladesh has reiterated its demand for the extradition of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina after a UK based legal firm requested a new passport and national identity card for her, adding a fresh dimension to the political and diplomatic dispute surrounding her planned return from India.
On November 9, Matrix Chambers emailed Bangladesh's High Commission in New Delhi requesting the documents on Hasina's behalf. The diplomatic mission forwarded the request to the Foreign Affairs Ministry for examination. However, questions have emerged over the authenticity of the application and whether the legal firm had provided sufficient proof of its authority to represent the former prime minister.
The request comes after Hasina announced her intention to return to Bangladesh in December, despite facing a death sentence imposed by a court in her absence.
Bangladesh's State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Humaiun Kobir, rejected the prospect of issuing a new passport to Hasina, saying the government wanted her returned through the extradition agreement between Bangladesh and India. He indicated that Dhaka would pursue the matter through diplomatic channels rather than treat her proposed return as an ordinary travel arrangement.
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed offered a separate procedural clarification, saying the authorities were examining the authenticity and legal basis of the reported application. He said the Foreign Affairs and Law ministries were looking into whether the request had followed the proper procedures and whether Hasina was legally entitled to receive the documents.
Ahmed also confirmed that Bangladesh had sent a formal extradition request to India.
Bangladesh's Chief Prosecutor, Md Aminul Islam, also dismissed the passport request as a political stunt, according to local media reports.
Hasina has been living in India since leaving Bangladesh on August 5, 2024, following weeks of student led protests that developed into a wider uprising against her government. The demonstrations initially began over a controversial government job quota system but gradually expanded into a movement demanding political change and accountability for alleged abuses by security forces.
Hasina governed Bangladesh from 2009 until her departure in 2024. Her exit followed an increasingly violent crackdown on protesters, which led to widespread deaths and injuries.
On November 17, 2025, Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Hasina to death in absentia after finding her guilty of crimes against humanity connected to the suppression of the 2024 uprising. Former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal also received a death sentence in the case.
Former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, who cooperated with the prosecution as a state witness, was sentenced to five years in prison.
Hasina has rejected the verdict and denied wrongdoing. She has also questioned the legitimacy of the proceedings, which were conducted in her absence.
The trial has drawn criticism from international human rights organisations. Human Rights Watch raised concerns about the fairness of the proceedings, particularly because Hasina was tried in absentia and faced restrictions concerning her choice of legal representation. The organisation has maintained that those responsible for serious human rights violations must be held accountable through proceedings that meet international fair trial standards.
The United Nations has separately documented serious abuses during the 2024 uprising. A fact finding investigation by the UN Human Rights Office, published in February 2025, estimated that as many as 1,400 people may have been killed between July 1 and August 15, 2024. The investigation documented widespread violations, including arbitrary arrests, torture and killings.
The findings have become an important part of the international discussion about accountability for the violence that led to Hasina's departure.
Her proposed return has also placed pressure on relations between Bangladesh and India. Dhaka has repeatedly asked New Delhi to extradite the former prime minister under the bilateral extradition treaty, which entered into force in 2013 and was amended in 2016.
India has said it is examining Bangladesh's request through its legal and judicial processes. However, it has not publicly announced a final decision or agreed to hand Hasina over.
The issue was discussed during a meeting between Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman and Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in New Delhi on April 8, 2026. India's Ministry of External Affairs later reiterated that the request was being examined.
Bangladesh's political leadership has also changed significantly since Hasina left the country. An interim administration led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus governed during the transition period before parliamentary elections were held on February 12, 2026.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party, led by Tarique Rahman, secured a parliamentary majority. Rahman was sworn in as prime minister on February 17. The Awami League, Hasina's party, was barred from participating in the election and remains prohibited from electoral activities.
Hasina has indicated that she is prepared to return even if she faces arrest. However, no confirmed travel date, route or arrangements for her proposed December return have been announced.
Her latest request for passport and identity documents has raised further questions about the legal and practical steps required for her return.
For Bangladesh, the issue involves more than the future of a former prime minister. It also concerns accountability for the 2024 violence, the rights of political supporters, the independence of the justice system and the country's relationship with neighbouring India.
Whether Hasina will receive the requested documents, whether India will act on the extradition request and whether she will return as planned remain unresolved.