Is Sheikh Hasina going on a foreign tour as 'Prime Minister' of Bangladesh?

Recently, a claim about former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been circulating on social media, particularly on Facebook. It is being claimed, citing Indian media sources, that Sheikh Hasina, as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, will be visiting Switzerland, Finland, the UAE, and Turkey on October 24. However, Dismislab’s verification reveals that this claim is false. No such news was found in Indian media sources, and the Bangladesh Awami League confirmed to Dismislab that the claim is not accurate. 

The false claim about Sheikh Hasina’s official visits began spreading on Facebook from October 13. Various personal profiles (1, 2, 3), pages (1, 2, 3), and groups (1, 2, 3) have posted different photos of Sheikh Hasina with the same claim. Additionally, a YouTube video promoting the same claim was also found in India.

The Facebook posts claim that “To assert her position and build global public opinion, Sheikh Hasina will travel to Switzerland, Finland, the United Arab Emirates, and Turkey on October 24 as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She will return to India on October 30, where she will soon hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Modi.”

These posts, citing Indian media, also claim that she will return to India on October 30 and soon meet with the Prime Minister of India in a bilateral meeting. However, no specific Indian media outlets were mentioned in these posts. Dismislab’s online search found no such reports in any Indian media.

Although no Indian media has reported on this, Dismislab found a video on a Bangladeshi YouTube channel named “Bangla TV” making the same claim. This video was published on October 14, a day after the claim went viral on Facebook. The video also showed a screenshot of a Facebook post, allegedly by Sheikh Hasina’s daughter, Saima Wazed Putul.

However, a 2019 report from a Bangladeshi news outlet clarified that Saima Wazed Putul does not have a Facebook account. The report stated that fake accounts had been created in the names of Sheikh Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana, and her daughter Putul. These accounts were used to spread misinformation, as confirmed by the Awami League. While Putul does not have a Facebook account, she does have a verified account on X (formerly Twitter), where no such post related to her mother’s supposed trip was found. Additionally, the then-MP Syed Sayedul Haque Suman raised a concern in Parliament about a profile using the name and photo of Saima Wazed Putul, which was posting positive content about the government. However, he was concerned that the profile was not verified and could be misused for the opposite purpose, misleading people because of the name.

The video report from “Bangla TV” was also posted on Facebook from various profiles (1, 2, 3).

To verify the accuracy of the claim, Dismislab reached out to the Bangladesh Awami League through their official mail ( Info@albd.org ). In a response, they confirmed that the claim is false and Sheikh Hasina is not planning to go on any such trip.

Incidentally, On August 5, following the collapse of her government, Sheikh Hasina sought refuge in India. After her diplomatic passport was canceled, questions arose about the exact status of her stay in India. On October 10, a Bangladeshi news outlet reported that Indian authorities had issued a travel document to Sheikh Hasina, which would allow her to obtain visas for any country. However, the Indian government has not officially confirmed whether Hasina has been given such a travel document.

Following the news of her receiving a travel document, false claims about her foreign tours began circulating on social media.