Hasina, who has been living in India for two years, has promised that she would return to Bangladesh in December.
Published On 9 Nov 2026
Bangladesh’s ousted Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, has applied for a new passport and identity card to facilitate her return from self‑imposed exile in India.
The request is seen as the clearest indication that Hasina, who has lived in India for two years, intends to follow through on her promise to return to Bangladesh in December.
Hasina told Reuters that she intends to surrender before a Bangladeshi court, with her aides indicating the date will be announced after formal procedures are finalised.
Bangladesh’s war crimes tribunal sentenced Hasina to death in absentia last November for ordering a deadly crackdown on 2024 student protests. United Nations estimates suggest up to 1,400 people were killed in the demonstrations.
In a letter to the Bangladeshi government cited by Reuters, Hasina requested that her application be processed “expeditiously” on the basis of her nationality.
She is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh’s founder and first president. Hasina served as prime minister from 1996 to 2001, and again from 2009 to 2024.
As Bangladesh’s longest‑standing prime minister, Hasina’s potential return could reignite legal and political challenges in the nation of 127 million.
She continues to retain support among segments of the population, and her return may influence the government’s attempts to stabilise the country and its economy following two years of turbulence.
Conversely, her return could improve ties with India, which soured sharply after she fled to Indian soil in 2024.
Hasina was removed in a mass, student‑led protest after the Supreme Court reinstated a job‑quota system that favoured descendants of the country’s liberation activists.