Govt verifying reports on Hasina's passport, NID applications: Home Minister

The government is verifying reports that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has applied for a passport and a national identity card (NID) in New Delhi, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said on Monday.

“The authenticity of the reports has not yet been verified. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Law are looking into the matter,” he told reporters at the Secretariat.

Asked about reports in international media that Hasina, a fugitive convict, had applied for a passport and an NID, the minister said the two ministries were examining the matter.

He said they would look into the legal basis of the applications, whether they had been properly submitted and whether Hasina was legally entitled to apply for the documents.

The relevant provisions of the Passport Act, Citizenship Act and NID-related laws would also be reviewed before the authorities made any official statement, he added.

Regarding the government's efforts to bring Hasina back to Bangladesh, the minister said the government had already approached the country where she is currently staying through diplomatic channels under the existing extradition treaty.

"We have sent a letter through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in accordance with the extradition treaty, requesting that the convicted fugitive be returned to Bangladesh in accordance with the law," he said.