India on Tuesday refused to be drawn on the issue of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina seeking a passport from the Bangladesh high commission to facilitate her return home next month, with the external affairs ministry only saying that such travel plans will require a “travel document”.
The request was swiftly dismissed by Bangladesh’s deputy foreign minister Humaiun Kobir, who reiterated Dhaka’s demand for her extradition. Hasina denies any wrongdoing, has rejected the tribunal’s verdict, and has challenged the legitimacy of her trial. Hasina, who has lived in self-imposed exile in India since her government was toppled in a student-led uprising in August 2024, approached the Bangladesh mission in New Delhi on Monday to seek a passport and a national identity card ahead of her planned return home in December. Hasina was sentenced to death by Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal in 2025 for crimes against humanity on the ground that she was responsible for ordering a crackdown on student-led protests that left hundreds dead and thousands injured.
The former PM has said in several recent interviews that she intends to return home next month despite facing the possibility of arrest.
When Jaiswal was asked specifically whether the extradition of a person will be possible if they did not possess a passport, he replied: “Obviously, for the travel of people, you need a travel document. That is what I understand, but it is a technical matter. Bangladeshi authorities revoked Hasina’s passport after she fled to India, and the activities of her Awami League party were banned. Her request for a passport and national identity card are being seen as preparations for her return to Bangladesh in December, since possession of the travel document will give her a greater say in deciding the circumstances of her return.
