Sheikh Hasina’s return to Bangladesh: the hurdles, the risks and the politics | Explained

The story so far: Sheikh Hasina sought a new passport and a national identity card from the Government of Bangladesh on Monday (November 9, 2026). In response, Acting Foreign Minister Humayun Kabir said that Bangladesh seeks her extradition under an “acceptable prisoner transfer process”. This is the latest episode in the Hasina saga that began when she came to India on August 5, 2024, after the student-people uprising toppled her government.

Sheikh Hasina faces a dilemma. She wants to return as a political leader and reclaim her party, the Awami League. But she stands accused of ordering the police crackdown of July-August 2024, and the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Dhaka has sentenced her to death for it.

How to return to face justice and yet emerge as a leader of her country is the big challenge before her. She has refused to apologise for the crackdown, saying the police did not take her orders but responded to angry agitators and militants who had provoked them.