After remaining in India for over two years, ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is now reportedly preparing to return to Bangladesh. As part of these preparations, she has submitted applications for a new passport and a National Identity Card (NID), according to a report by the British news agency Reuters.
 
Following this news, Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, former advisor to the interim government and senior joint member secretary of the National Citizen Party (NCP), extended a public invitation to Sheikh Hasina, stating she should return "in a cage."
 
The NCP leader made the remark in a post on his social media Facebook account on Monday (November 9).
 
The full context of NCP leader Asif Mahmud’s Facebook post is presented below:
 
"You don't need a passport, Apa [elder sister]. You shouldn't come on a plane; you must come in a cage. And that is ready."
 
Meanwhile, the application on behalf of Sheikh Hasina was submitted to the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi. This detail was revealed in a letter dated Monday (November 9) reviewed by Reuters. This marks Sheikh Hasina's first formal contact with Bangladeshi authorities since fleeing the country in 2024.
 
In the letter, her lawyers requested that arrangements be made to issue her a new passport and NID. The communication was sent to the Acting High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Delhi, Preeti Rahman, by lawyers from the London-based legal practice Matrix Chambers.
 
Notably, Sheikh Hasina fled the country in 2024 following a massive student-led mass uprising.