Sources in Indian Home Ministry said the six-month residential permit granted to her was due to expire on February 17, but it has been extended by another six months until August 17.

Nasreen, who had applied to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in December for a six-month's extension of her visa, is interested in obtaining citizenship or permanent resident status in India.

Initially, Nasreen was granted a one-year residential permit in 2005. Presently staying in Kolkata on a Swedish passport, Nasreen has been living in exile for the last 12 years.

She was forced to flee from reh residence in Dhaka to Sweden following fundamentalist threat for her book 'Lajja (Shame)' which was published in 1993.

Besides 'Lajja', Nasreen's four autobiographical books are banned in Bangladesh.