DHAKA/NEW DELHI Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said the government wants former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to return home through “legal processes”, responding to her recent remarks that she wanted to return home “soon” despite facing the death penalty.
“We want to go through the legal process to get her back,” Ahmed, a senior minister in Prime Minister Tariq Rahman’s cabinet, told reporters on Thursday, adding that he was not aware of any legal obstacles preventing Hasina from returning if she wished.
Hasina has been living in India since August 2024, after her Awami League government was ousted in a student-led uprising.
The interim government led by Muhammad Yunus subsequently banned the Awami League through an executive order and initiated proceedings against Hasina at Bangladesh’s reconstituted International Crimes Tribunal.
Hasina was later sentenced to death in absentia by a court in November 2025, a trial that was criticized by her supporters.
The BNP government that came to power in February supported the interim government’s decision to ban the Awami League.
Home Minister Ahmed’s remarks came a day after Prime Minister Rehman’s Information Affairs Adviser Zaheedur Rahman said “extra-legal measures” would not be taken against Hasina if she returns to Bangladesh.
But he said the former prime minister would have to “capitulate to the judiciary” and face legal action against her.
Local media in Dhaka cited legal experts as saying the deadline to challenge the court ruling had expired.
Hasina, in recent interviews with some Indian media outlets, said she hopes to return to Bangladesh “soon” and “hold her head high”, criticizing Bangladesh’s current political leadership for alleged democratic backsliding and warning of rising anti-India rhetoric in the country.
Hasina has also said in some interviews that she intends to continue leading the Awami League after going into exile.
This article was generated from automated news agency feeds without modifications to the text.
