No passport to terrorist: Humaiun

Bangladesh will not issue a new passport or national identity card (NID) to ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, whom State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir described as a fugitive convicted of crimes carrying the death penalty.

“There is no question of issuing new travel documents to a fugitive accused. Bangladesh will not provide a passport or NID to a terrorist. Her return from India will be pursued under the existing bilateral extradition treaty,” the state minister said while responding to questions from journalists at the Foreign Ministry on Monday.

Humaiun said the government would formally seek India's cooperation in handing over Hasina under the Bangladesh-India extradition treaty, stressing that her return could not be treated as an ordinary immigration matter. “Hasina is a convicted fugitive. There is an extradition treaty between Bangladesh and India, and we want her handed over to us,” Kobir said.

He added that if Hasina were returned to Bangladesh, she would be taken into custody and transferred to prison under appropriate security arrangements.

The minister dismissed Reuters reports that Hasina had initiated legal steps to obtain a new Bangladeshi passport and NID through her lawyers in India, describing the move as legally untenable. He said any legal notice or representation submitted by lawyers or foreign law firms would not change her existing legal status.

The lawyers reportedly expressed Hasina's intention to complete the necessary formalities and return to Bangladesh in December. Hasina had also previously told Reuters that she wanted to return to the country and surrender before a court.

However, Kobir reiterated that the government had no plan to issue her a new passport or travel permit, saying formal extradition from India was the only route through which she would be brought back.

The state minister also accused Hasina of continuing political activities and alleged terrorist activities while staying in India. He claimed that around 1,500 people were killed in just six weeks during the crackdown under her government.

Criticising the engagement of foreign lawyers, solicitors and public relations firms on Hasina's behalf, Kobir alleged that money looted from state resources during her tenure was being used to hire legal and lobbying services abroad.

Referring to efforts to generate support for Hasina in the United Kingdom, he claimed that a public relations firm had circulated misleading information, putting several British lawmakers in an embarrassing position before subsequently withdrawing from the initiative. He further claimed that only a handful of the 650 members of the British Parliament had taken a position in her favour.

Earlier, on November 5, Kobir had said that no new passport or travel document was necessary to bring Hasina back, as the government would proceed under the existing extradition agreement with India.
Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman also said on November 8 that the government would take all necessary legal measures to secure her return under the treaty.

Hasina was sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal in November last year in a crimes-against-humanity case over the deadly crackdown on the student-led mass uprising in July-August 2024. She fled Bangladesh on August 5, 2024, following the fall of her government and has since been staying in India.

The government has maintained that her return will be pursued through the formal legal and diplomatic process rather than through the issuance of new travel documents.

Bangladesh High Commission to India, in a statement on Monday, stated that it has not received any prayer of Sheikh Hasina seeking passport and NID.