A fresh passport application by former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has triggered renewed political and diplomatic debate over her possible return…reports Asian Lite News Desk
Bangladesh’s newly appointed Foreign Secretary Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury has declined to comment on reports that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has applied for a fresh passport and National Identity Card (NID), amid speculation about a possible return to the country in December. Speaking at his first press conference since taking charge, Chowdhury said the briefing was primarily focused on Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s upcoming visit to Turkey for the COP31 climate conference.
Addressing reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka on Monday, the Foreign Secretary avoided questions about Hasina’s passport application, saying he had nothing to add on the matter.
“We are mainly talking about the COP31 conference today. I have no comment on this matter,” Bangladesh’s Daily Sunquoted Chowdhury as saying.
Hasina has formally sought the issuance of a fresh Bangladeshi passport and NID, marking a significant step towards her potential return to Bangladesh, her party, the Awami League, announced on Monday. The development comes amid reports that the previous Muhammad Yunus-led interim administration had revoked her existing documents.
According to the party, Hasina, through her legal representatives in London, has approached the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi, requesting that the process be expedited. Her application reportedly cited her Bangladeshi nationality and the country’s obligations under international human rights instruments.
Meanwhile, the New Delhi-based think tank Rights and Risks Analysis Group said on Monday that denying Hasina a passport to facilitate her return to Bangladesh would amount to a serious violation of her fundamental rights.
“The international community, including the United Nations, ought to intervene with the Government of Bangladesh to ensure that former Prime Minister Hasina is issued a passport or an appropriate travel document to facilitate her immediate return to the country,” the group said.
The remarks followed comments by Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir last week, when he said Dhaka wanted India to hand over Hasina under the existing extradition treaty between the two countries. He rejected suggestions that she would require a passport or other travel documents to return.
“The statement of Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Humaiun Kabir that Hasina would not be issued a regular passport or a travel pass to return to the country and she must be brought back to Bangladesh from Delhi under the existing extradition treaty between Bangladesh and India is without any legal basis and is only meant to deny her right to return,” the Rights and Risks Analysis Group stated.
Chowdhury assumed charge as Bangladesh’s new Foreign Secretary on Sunday, succeeding Asad Alam Siam, who is scheduled to take up his next assignment as the country’s High Commissioner to India.
According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chowdhury will continue to discharge the responsibilities of Foreign Secretary until further notice.
Before his appointment, he served as Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York. He joined the Bangladesh Foreign Service in 1998 and has since held several diplomatic positions, including serving as the country’s Ambassador to Nepal from November 2020 to December 2024.
His other overseas assignments included postings at Bangladesh’s High Commissions in New Delhi and Islamabad, the country’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations and its Consulate General in New York, Bangladeshi daily Prothom Alo reported.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is scheduled to leave Dhaka on Tuesday for an official visit to Turkey to attend the World Leaders’ Summit of COP31, which will take place in Antalya on November 11 and 12.
He will be accompanied by his wife, Zubaida Rahman, and a high-level delegation comprising Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo, State Ministers for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir and Shama Obaed, the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and other senior government officials.
