Kuala Lumpur | Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Tuesday dismissed the rumours that PM Modi asked Malaysia for controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik’s custody.
Speaking to local media, Mahathir Mohamad said, “Not many countries want him [Naik]. I met Prime Minister Modi, he didn’t ask me for him. This man could also be troublesome for India.”
He also said that Malaysia is still looking for a place to send Zakir Naik who has made racially sensitive comments recently accusing Hindu Malaysians of being more loyal to PM Modi.
“We are trying to find some place he can go to but at the moment, no one wants to accept him”, said Mahathir Mohamad.
Laso month, Prime Minister Modi had met Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in Russia and speculations were ripe that the duo talked about the extradition of Zakir Naik to India.
Then, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale had told media that PM Modi had raised the issue of Zakir Naik’s extradition from Malaysia during his meeting with Mahathir.
“Both the parties have decided that our officials will stay in contact regarding the matter and it is an important issue for us,” Gokhale had said.
Zakir Naik, a 53-year-old radical television preacher, left India in 2016 and subsequently moved to the largely Muslim Malaysia, where he was granted permanent residency.
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