Bangladesh Govt Rejects Reuters’ Report on Hasina’s Passport Application

Reuters recently reported that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is now in India, had applied for a new Bangladeshi passport and National Identity Card (NID). However, Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi have rejected the report.

According to the Reuters report, this was Ms. Hasina’s first reported attempt to officially communicate with the Bangladesh government since she left the country after the change of power in 2024. Reuters said a letter was sent to the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi on Monday (November 9) by Hasina’s UK-based lawyers. The news agency said it had seen the letter.

Reuters reported that the letter sought new travel documents after the interim government cancelled Ms. Hasina’s previous Bangladeshi passport and NID. It said the letter referred to Bangladesh’s obligations under international human rights agreements and requested the urgent issuance of a new passport and NID. The report also said that people close to Hasina claimed she was willing to return to Bangladesh and surrender to the court after completing the necessary legal and administrative formalities.

However, the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry and the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi have given completely different information. Several diplomatic and government sources told Daily Inqilab that no official application or letter related to the matter had been received from Hasina or her lawyers so far. Therefore, the diplomatic and administrative authorities have directly rejected the report of receiving such an application.

However, an email was received at the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi from Matrix Chambers, a London-based law firm. A senior High Commission official said, “We received an email from an organisation called Matrix Chambers. The email contained a request for the return of the passport and NID of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. We do not know whether the request is genuine. There is no way to know that the request was made on behalf of Sheikh Hasina.”

The official said the email did not contain any document or proof showing that Ms. Hasina had authorised the law firm to make the request. “This is not an application for a new passport or NID,” the official said. The High Commission, however, forwarded the email to the Foreign Ministry.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s Home and Foreign ministries have clearly said in a message that if Sheikh Hasina returns to Bangladesh, she will return as an accused under the prisoner transfer agreement. The government is also examining whether such an application, if made, would be acceptable.

The background to the legal cases and verdict against Sheikh Hasina at the International Crimes Tribunal is linked to the end of her 15-year rule following the 2024 student-public uprising and the deadly crackdown during the movement. Political analysts said the sudden publication of such a report in international media, at a time when the government is working to restore overall stability and move forward through the interim process, could be an attempt to create new political unrest and confusion in the country.