PAS asks if India got commitment on extraditing Zakir Naik

 Party secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan says Malaysia must follow its extradition laws despite efforts to strengthen ties with New Delhi.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said any action on India’s extradition request for Zakir Naik must be taken ‘very cautiously’ and in line with the rule of law. (EPA Images pic)

PETALING JAYA:

PAS has demanded that the government clarify whether it made any political commitment to India over the possible extradition of controversial preacher Zakir Naik following Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s recent meeting with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.

PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said Malaysia’s long-standing ties with India in trade, investment, education, technology and other strategic areas should not override Malaysian laws governing extradition.

“Malaysia should give due consideration to any legitimate extradition request from a foreign country in accordance with legal processes, rather than through political transactions or bargaining,” he said in a statement today.

Takiyuddin said PAS was concerned Naik could become a “political victim or diplomatic concession” if Malaysia sought to demonstrate its friendship with India at the expense of due legal process.

“This case is not merely about relations between Malaysia and India. It is also a test of whether Malaysia will uphold its own legal principles and provisions when faced with diplomatic pressure or potential gains,” he said.

The Kota Bharu MP also called on the government to explain the current legal and diplomatic status of India’s extradition request, what exactly was discussed between Anwar and Modi, and whether any understanding had been reached.

He further urged Putrajaya to clarify whether the evidence and documentation supporting India’s request had met the requirements under Malaysian law for extradition.

The statement comes after Indian news site New Delhi Television quoted Anwar as saying that the issue of Naik’s extradition had been discussed during his meeting with Modi in New Delhi on the sidelines of the BRICS summit.

Anwar reportedly said that any potential action on India’s extradition request must be taken “very cautiously” and in line with the rule of law.

India first sought Naik’s extradition in 2018 over several allegations, including money laundering and hate speech.

Naik, who has permanent residence status in Malaysia, has denied the allegations against him.

Malaysia has repeatedly said it will only act on the request if provided with concrete and credible evidence, while Interpol has on several occasions declined to issue a red notice against Naik, citing insufficient grounds. - FMT