Malaysian PM confirms discussion held with India about extradition of fugitive Islamic preacher Zakir Naik

New Delhi: Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Saturday confirmed that the issue of extradition of fugitive Islamic preacher Zakir Naik did come up during discussions held with India on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit being held in New Delhi.

“In private discussions, of course, these engagements continue,” Ibrahim, who held a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday morning, told NDTV in an exclusive interview while responding to a question on the whether the extradition issue came up for discussion during the meeting.

“We thought we should keep it very private to protect the interests of both nations. But we, of course, put it on the priority list for building trust and relationships between our countries,” Ibrahim added.

He noted that Malaysia needs to ensure the rule of law on the issue of extradition.

“We have some understanding of it (extradition demand), but we need to do it very cautiously,” he said. “Respect the rule of law and the importance of these bilateral relations.”

Controversial Indian Islamic preacher Zakir Naik currently lives in Malaysia as a permanent resident while remaining a wanted fugitive in India on charges of hate speech and money laundering. He moved to Malaysia in 2016 after investigations against him and his network, including the Islamic Research Foundation and Peace TV, were initiated by the Indian authorities. Naik was later granted permanent residency in Malaysia.

A formal request has been submitted by India for his extradition and Malaysia has maintained that it will cooperate through established legal channels.

The Malaysian PM also said that he does not agree with all the views of Kerala-based Islamic cleric Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliar, who recently stirred controversy with his remarks that women should remain confined to their homes and should not enter the public sphere.

Ibrahim is scheduled to meet the cleric in Kozhikode on Sunday. The visiting PM said that he would tell the cleric to his face that Malaysia guarantees women equal rights.

He also noted that Malaysia has more female students in their universities and highlighted that his wife is a medical doctor and their children, including the girls, have been given all the opportunities to study and to have freedom.

IANS