Dhaka, Nov. 9 -- The government is verifying reports that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has applied for a passport and a national identity card (NID) in New Delhi, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said on Monday.

"The authenticity of the reports has not yet been verified. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Law are looking into the matter," he told reporters at the Secretariat.

Asked about reports in international media that Hasina, a fugitive convict, had applied for a passport and an NID, the minister said the two ministries were examining the matter.

He said they would look into the legal basis of the applications, whether they had been properly submitted and whether Hasina was legally entitled to apply for the d...