Politics
Govt verifying reports of Hasina’s passport, NID application: Home minister
Translated by Desk Report
The government is verifying reports that ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina has applied for a new passport and national identity card (NID), as well as the legal basis for such an application, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said.
The foreign and law ministries are looking into the matter, he told reporters in response to questions at a press briefing on current issues at the home ministry on Monday (November 9).
The home minister said he, too, had heard that Hasina had applied for a passport and NID. However, the application had yet to be verified. The foreign and law ministries were working on the matter.
He said the ministries were examining the application’s legal basis, whether it had been submitted properly and whether Hasina had the legal right to make such an application. The ministries concerned would take further steps after the necessary legal review.
The home minister also said a letter had been sent to the Indian government seeking Hasina’s return under the extradition treaty. The letter was sent through the foreign ministry, he said.
Asked about crude bomb explosions in different parts of the country, Salahuddin Ahmed said the ousted forces were attacking buses and establishments at various times to create instability. Police were taking legal action over the incidents and thwarting attacks, he said.
Earlier on Monday, international news agency Reuters reported that Hasina, who is in India, had applied to the Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi for a new passport and national identity card. The report cited a letter obtained by Reuters.
According to the report, lawyers from Hasina’s London-based legal firm, Matrix Chambers, sent the application to Bangladesh’s acting high commissioner in Delhi, Priti Rahman.
Hasina left Bangladesh for India after being ousted in a student-led mass uprising on August 5, 2024. This is the first report since then of her applying for a Bangladeshi passport and national identity card.
