Will Sheikh Hasina return to Bangladesh?

Inside Story

The former Bangladeshi PM says she is planning to go back, despite a death sentence.

She faces being hanged. Yet, Sheikh Hasina says she will return to Bangladesh and would rather die in her country.

She served twice as prime minister, but was forced to resign and flee after large-scale street protests more than two years ago.

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Since then, she has been living in India, which has refused a request by Bangladesh to hand her over.

Hasina says she asked for a new passport to return. But the government in Dhaka turned down the request.

The former leader announced she will return home in December, no matter what.

So, what would her possible return mean for politics in Bangladesh?

Presenter: James Bays

Guests:

Shahab Enam Khan – Professor at the Department of International Relations at Jahangirnagar University

Sanjay Kumar Bhardwaj – Professor at the Centre for South Asian Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, specialising in India-Bangladesh relations

Taqbir Huda – Human rights lawyer and a Clarendon scholar at the University of Oxford

Published On 11 Nov 2026