{
  "id": 19098794,
  "title": "Hasina seeks new passport in clearest sign of Bangladesh return",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/hasina-seeks-new-passport-in-clearest-sign-of-bangladesh-return-19098794",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-11-09T05:23:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Business Recorder",
    "slug": "business-recorder",
    "url": "https://www.brecorder.com/news/40448091/hasina-seeks-new-passport-in-clearest-sign-of-bangladesh-return"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "NEW DELHI: Ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has formally requested a new passport and identity card so that she can return from self-imposed exile in India, according to a letter obtained by Reuters. The request is the clearest indication yet that Hasina intends to return to Bangladesh in December, over two years after her rule ended in a violent uprising. The letter, seen by Reuters, was sent by Hasina's lawyers at London-based Matrix Chambers to Preeti Rahman, the acting high commissioner at Bangladesh's embassy in Delhi. In the letter, Hasina's attorneys expressed their \"respectful request\" for the issuance of a new Bangladeshi passport and National Identity Card, citing the revocation of her existing documents by the interim government and other authorities. Hasina, still supported by sections of the population despite her two-decade rule, plans to surrender before a court upon her return, though the date has not yet been announced. Her lawyers emphasized the need for the new documents to be issued \"expeditiously\" in accordance with international human rights instruments. Bangladesh's Awami League party, which Hasina leads, was the country's largest before her ban, and her return could potentially exacerbate political tensions in a nation grappling with instability following the upheaval that ousted her.",
  "summary": "NEW DELHI: Ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina requested on Monday a new passport and identity card so she can return from self-imposed exile in India, according to a letter seen by Reuters, her first such communication since fleeing in 2024. The request marks the clearest step by Hasina to act on her plan to return to Bangladesh in December, more than two years after a deadly…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 6,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Hasina seeks new passport in clearest sign of Bangladesh return",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/hasina-seeks-new-passport-in-clearest-sign-of-bangladesh-return",
        "published": "2026-11-09T04:02:25.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Live Mint",
        "title": "Sheikh Hasina seeks new passport ahead of December return to Bangladesh as government doubles down on extradition",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/sheikh-hasina-seeks-new-passport-ahead-of-december-return-to",
        "published": "2026-11-09T04:23:54.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "Bangladesh’s ousted leader Sheikh Hasina appeals for a new passport to return from exile",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/bangladeshs-ousted-leader-sheikh-hasina-appeals-for-a-new-passport-to",
        "published": "2026-11-09T04:23:55.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Jerusalem Post",
        "title": "Ousted PM Sheikh Hasina seeks new passport in clearest sign of Bangladesh return",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/ousted-pm-sheikh-hasina-seeks-new-passport-in-clearest-sign-of",
        "published": "2026-11-09T04:28:51.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "Ex-Bangladesh leader Hasina applies for passport in signal she’s ready for homecoming",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/ex-bangladesh-leader-hasina-applies-for-passport-in-signal-shes-ready",
        "published": "2026-11-09T05:07:34.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}