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New foreign secretary declines to comment on Hasina’s passport application
Daily Sun Report, Dhaka
Published: 09 Nov 2026, 11:47 AM
New Foreign Secretary Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury speaking at a press conference. Photo: Collected
New Foreign Secretary Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury has declined to comment on reports that ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina has applied for a new passport and national identity card (NID), reportedly as part of preparations to return to Bangladesh in December.
Asked about the matter at a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday, Salahuddin said he had nothing to say about Hasina’s passport application, adding that the briefing was primarily focused on Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s upcoming visit to Türkiye to attend the COP31 climate conference.
“We are mainly talking about the COP31 conference today. I have no comment on this matter,” he told reporters.
According to a Reuters report, Hasina applied for a new passport and NID on Monday. The news agency said it had obtained a letter concerning the applications, which marks her first formal communication since she fled to India in August 2024 following the July uprising.
The letter was sent by lawyers from London-based legal firm Matrix Chambers to Preeti Rahman, acting high commissioner at the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi, requesting the issuance of new passport and NID documents for Hasina.
The lawyers said they understood that the interim government and relevant authorities had cancelled her previous passport and NID. Citing her Bangladeshi citizenship and international human rights obligations, they urged the authorities to take necessary steps to issue the two documents promptly.
Hasina was ousted in the student-led mass uprising in August 2024 and has been staying in India since then.
In November 2025, the International Crimes Tribunal sentenced her to death in absentia over allegations that she had ordered a deadly crackdown on the movement.
Her reported move to return to Bangladesh could trigger fresh political tensions. The activities of her party, the Awami League, are currently banned, while many of its leaders and activists are in prison and others are staying in India and various other countries.
Reuters also reported that Bangladesh-India relations have been strained over India's decision to shelter Hasina. Her reported initiative to return could further complicate relations between the two countries.