The Indian government has confirmed that it sent Malaysia a formal extradition request for preacher Zakir Naik in January this year.
Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Shri Raveesh Kumar confirmed this with Malaysiakini via email today.
“In January this year, we made a formal request for the extradition of Zakir Naik who is an Indian national, who is living in Malaysia and who is wanted (for) criminal cases in India.
“Our extradition request is under consideration (by) the Malaysian authorities,” he said, pointing to an extradition treaty between the two countries that was inked back in 2010.
Raveesh added that the Indian government has been in regular contact with their Malaysian counterparts regarding the controversial Muslim preacher, who has permanent residency status here.
This confirms previous reports that the Indian government had placed an extradition request for Zakir in January this year.
However, cabinet minister Gobind Singh Deo had declined to confirm the existence of the extradition request when asked about it yesterday.
Another minister, M Kulasegaran, had said that the government would ask the attorney-general if there had been any formal request from India on the matter.
Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has said that Malaysia will not bow to “pressure” to deport the preacher, as he had not committed any crime here.
Zakir is facing court charges in India for money laundering, supporting terrorist activities and inciting religious tension. - Mkini
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