Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina would have to be returned to Bangladesh under the extradition treaty with India if she wants to come back to the country, Foreign Affairs State Minister Humayun Kabir has said. He also made it clear that Bangladesh would not issue a passport to the fugitive, who has been sentenced to death.

The state minister made the remarks while briefing journalists at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday.

During the briefing, a journalist asked him about reports that Hasina had applied for a new passport and national identity card (NID) at the Bangladesh mission in New Delhi.

Kabir responded by asking who had submitted the application. When the journalist identified Hasina, he described the move as “a little ridiculous” and questioned how and through which law firm the application had been made.

After the journalist named London-based law firm Matrix Chambers, the state minister said the firm should first familiarise itself with its client.

“Your client is a terrorist who fled Bangladesh. For years, she made thousands of people disappear and carried out extrajudicial killings. Then, before fleeing, she killed nearly 1,500 people or even more in just one and a half months,” he said.

“Bangladesh does not issue passports to terrorists; rather, it seeks their handover,” Kabir added.

He said Hasina had already been sentenced and had fled the country after killing people. Questioning how she could return, he said her record was one of fleeing rather than coming back.

“She is not going to return through an ordinary visit. There is an extradition treaty for terrorists, and Bangladesh will seek her handover through that treaty. She is not coming here to visit her maternal grandparents,” he said.

Kabir further said that if Hasina were handed over, she would be brought to Bangladesh under supervision and taken directly to central jail, where her sentence would be carried out.

Asked about the legal firm’s application on Hasina’s behalf, the state minister said anyone could draft and submit such a request, and the government would respond if necessary.

“Of course, they can make a representation. Let them do so,” he said, adding that the government was not concerned by the submission itself.

Asked whether the government had received the letter, Kabir said he would check, noting that receiving such correspondence would not be unusual. However, he described the application as having a very weak foundation from legal, ethical and moral perspectives.

Asked what process Hasina would need to follow to return, Kabir said she would have to approach India and request to be handed over under the extradition treaty.

He also made strong remarks about Hasina and Awami League leaders, describing them as individuals who had fled Bangladesh and accusing them of theft, corruption and terrorism.

Reuters report on passport application

The remarks came after Reuters reported that Hasina had applied for a new Bangladeshi passport and national identity card through the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi.

Citing a letter related to the application, Reuters said the request was submitted on Monday and marked the first formal contact between Hasina and Bangladeshi authorities since she fled the country in 2024.

According to the report, lawyers from Matrix Chambers wrote to Bangladesh’s Acting High Commissioner in New Delhi, Priti Rahman, saying that Hasina’s existing Bangladeshi passport and NID had reportedly been cancelled by the interim government and other authorities.

The lawyers requested the necessary steps to issue her new documents, citing her Bangladeshi citizenship and obligations under international human rights conventions. They also asked that the applications be processed as quickly as possible.

Reuters said Priti Rahman and the spokesperson for Prime Minister Tarique Rahman did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Since taking refuge in India, Hasina has repeatedly said that she wants to return to Bangladesh in December 2026.