Govt scrutinising: Salahuddin

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said on Monday said that the government is verifying reports of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s application seeking issuance of her passport and national identity card which were cancelled after July Uprising.

“I have also heard about the matter and saw it in the scroll news. Fugitive convict Sheikh Hasina has reportedly applied for a passport and NID. But I have not yet been able to verify the authenticity of the matter,” he said at a press briefing on contemporary issues held at the Home Ministry.

He further said that the Foreign Ministry and Law Ministry were looking into the matter.

“We will examine in detail what the legal basis is, whether the application was actually submitted properly and whether she has the right to apply. After examining all the relevant laws, the Foreign Ministry or the Law Ministry will take the necessary steps,” he said.

In November last year, Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Hasina to death in absentia for allegedly ordering a deadly crackdown to suppress the July Uprising of 2024. She has denied the allegations from India.

Hasina had earlier said that she planned to return to Bangladesh in December. In an interview with Reuters, she said she wanted to return to the country to surrender before the court.

Amid the discussions, Reuters reported on Monday morning that London-based law firm Matrix Chambers on behalf of Hasina had sent a letter to Bangladesh’s acting high commissioner in New Delhi Priti Rahman requesting the issuance of a new passport and national identity card for her.

Reuters described the move as Hasina’s clearest step yet towards implementing her plan to return to Bangladesh after her long rule ended in a deadly mass uprising more than two years ago.

It was reportedly the first known formal communication from Hasina of this kind since she left Bangladesh on August 5, 2024.

According to the different media and sources, the application read that in light of reports that her existing Bangladesh passport and National Identity Card (NID) have been cancelled by the interim government and other authorities, I respectfully request that you take the necessary steps to issue a new Bangladesh passport and National Identity Card for our client.

The letter added that this request is made on the basis of her Bangladeshi citizenship, which is consistent with Bangladesh law and any applicable obligations arising from international human rights treaties. The Bangladesh government has repeatedly urged New Delhi to extradite Hasina so that her sentence can be carried out. The Indian government, however, has not responded to the request.

New Delhi has officially said it is reviewing Bangladesh’s extradition request for Hasina. However, Indian media reports said the decision will not be taken on political or diplomatic grounds. Instead, Indian authorities will examine whether the offences alleged by Bangladesh would also constitute crimes under Indian law as part of the judicial process.

Regarding the extradition request, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said, “I can say that when a convicted accused takes shelter in another country, we have sent a letter through our Foreign Ministry to that country under the extradition treaty, requesting that the person be extradited in accordance with the law.”

On recent incidents involving cocktail explosions in different parts of the country, the home minister said, “The ousted forces are occasionally attacking some buses and establishments to create instability. The police are taking legal action and thwarting such attempts.”