Bangladesh’s ousted leader Sheikh Hasina appeals for a new passport to return from exile

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina asked for a new passport on Monday, aiming to return from her two-year exile. The former leader, who was toppled in a mass uprising, requested the passport to ease her journey back to Bangladesh. The government had been pushing for her extradition from India and had initially rejected the notion that she required fresh identification documents to return home.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Hasina expressed her resolve to come back to Bangladesh by December, regardless of the circumstances. Her aide, Abu Obaidha Arin, informed the AP that Hasina requested the government to take necessary actions to provide her a passport and national identity card, emphasizing the significance of this step towards her homecoming.

Bangladesh has been seeking Hasina's extradition from India, but India has refused to hand her over. The former leader was sent to India after student-led protests forced her out of power on August 5, 2024. A special tribunal in Bangladesh sentenced her to death for crimes against humanity, ruling that she ordered the crackdown, which resulted in hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries.

The United Nations reported nearly 1,400 fatalities in the incident. Hasina denies any wrongdoing and has rejected the tribunal's verdict, challenging its legitimacy. An interim government led Bangladesh after her removal and held an election in February, barring her Awami League party from participating. Tarique Rahman, the son of a long-standing political rival of Hasina, won the election and took office.