BanglaPress Desk: Home Affairs Adviser Salahuddin Ahmad has stated that the reports claiming ousted dictator Sheikh Hasina—who fled Bangladesh for India—has applied to the Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi for a passport and a National Identity (NID) card, have not yet been verified. He added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Law are currently examining the matter.
The Home Affairs Adviser made these remarks while responding to questions from journalists at the Secretariat on Monday (November 9).
"I have also heard—and seen on news scrolls—that the fugitive, convicted individual Sheikh Hasina has applied for a passport and an NID card. However, I have not yet been able to verify the authenticity of this," he said.
Salahuddin Ahmad noted that the application would be reviewed to determine whether it has a legal basis, whether it was submitted through the proper procedure, and whether the applicant has the right to make such a request. The Passport Act, the Citizenship Act, and the NID Act will be taken into consideration during this review.
Meanwhile, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir stated that an application for a standard passport would not be valid in the case of a fugitive offender. Speaking at a press conference on Monday, he said, "Sheikh Hasina will be brought back to the country to face trial through legal and diplomatic channels, specifically via an extradition treaty."
The State Minister for Foreign Affairs added, "Bangladesh does not issue passports to terrorists. Instead, the government intends to bring them back under extradition treaties to ensure they serve their sentences."
According to a report by the news agency Reuters, the ousted dictator Sheikh Hasina submitted the application on Monday, as part of a plan to return to the country in December.
