Govt maintains decision not to extradite Zakir Naik to India

KUALA LUMPUR: The government has decided not to extradite prominent preacher Dr Zakir Naik to India and has made no commitment to hand him over to the country.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the decision was based on Malaysia's rights under Article 6 of the extradition treaty signed with the Indian government in 2010, as well as provisions under the Extradition Act 1992.

He said the government had not received any new extradition request from India concerning Zakir.

The Indian government had previously submitted an official extradition request on Jan 19, 2018, followed by a diplomatic note seeking a review of the decision on May 29, 2020.

"The Malaysian government has decided not to extradite Dr Zakir Naik to India. Therefore, no commitment has been made to extradite him," he said in a written reply published on the parliament website.

Saifuddin was responding to a question from Datuk Dr Ahmad Marzuk Shaary (PN-Pengkalan Chepa), who asked for the latest status of India's extradition request for Zakir, including the date the most recent official request was received.

Marzuk also sought clarification on whether the documents and evidence submitted met the requirements of the Extradition Act 1992 and the Malaysia-India extradition treaty.

He also asked whether the government had made any commitment regarding the preacher's extradition.

In September, media reports said the government had been urged to clarify the legal and diplomatic status of the extradition request, which was discussed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.

Pas secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan was reported to have said that Anwar should also explain the issues discussed and the understanding reached during the meeting between the two leaders.

He said clarification was also needed on whether the evidence and documents submitted by New Delhi to Kuala Lumpur in support of the request met Malaysia's legal requirements for extradition.

The calls followed earlier media reports that Zakir's extradition, sought by India over allegations of money laundering and hate speech, was among the matters discussed during talks between Anwar and Indian representatives.

Indian news outlet New Delhi Television (NDTV) reported that Anwar had confirmed the matter was discussed behind closed doors, reportedly in New Delhi.