Malaysian PM to meet Modi, issue of Zakir Naik still unresolved

Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim to visit India, sign agreements with PM Modi, but issue of Zakir Naik unclear.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will land in Delhi on Monday (August 18, 2024) on a three-day visit, where he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will sign a number of agreements and chart out a “multi-sectoral cooperation agenda” to enhance trade, strategic ties, and people to people links, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced.

However, officials side-stepped the issue of controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, who is wanted by Indian investigative agencies on alleged charges of hate-speech and money laundering, and whether India’s demand that he be sent back to India, would be raised during Mr. Ibrahim’s visit. 

When asked at a briefing last week, the MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal did not confirm whether the issue would feature, saying only that India-Malaysia ties “have improved over the past few years”, and that the government was “eagerly waiting to warmly welcome him”. 

“There will be discussions on many issues, and all the matters between the two countries will be discussed,” Mr. Jaiswal said.

In 2021, Mr. Modi had raised Mr. Naik’s extradition with then Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohammad directly, when they met on the sidelines of a conference in Russia. At the time, the government had announced that Indian and Malaysian officials would “stay in contact” regarding the “important issue”, but Mr. Mahathir, who granted Mr. Naik permanent residency in Malaysia, ruled out India’s request publicly. The provisional arrest request and extradition request against Mr. Naik, who moved to Malaysia in 2016, was sent by India to the Malaysian government in January 2018.

Indian agencies had also failed to persuade Interpol to issue a Red Corner Notice against Mr. Naik despite three requests, submitted between 2017 and 2021. The Interpol’s adjudicating body found the evidence against Mr. Naik “not sufficient” to warrant it.

In October 2017, the National Investigation Agency had filed a chargesheet against Mr. Naik on the charge of inciting youth to take up terror activities, giving hate speeches, and promoting enmity on communal lines. The Enforcement Directorate also submitted a prosecution complaint against him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in 2019.