India, Nov. 5 -- Former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina has said she does not need the backing of any foreign country to return home. Her decision to return to Bangladesh from exile in India by December remains unchanged despite the possibility of arrest or death, Hasina said on Thursday.

Asked whether she expected countries such as the United States and India to put pressure on Bangladesh to ensure her safe return, the ousted leader said she was not seeking foreign protection.

"I value friendship and cooperation with all nations. That has always been our (Bangladesh's) foreign policy. But I do not need the blessing of a foreign power to return to my own country," Hasina told news agency AP in an email interview.

Hasina fled Ba...