KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 2 — The government previously opted not to extradite preacher Dr Zakir Naik to India and has given no commitment to do so, the Home Ministry told the Dewan Rakyat, adding that it has received no new extradition request.
In a reply to Pengkalan Chepa MP Datuk Dr Ahmad Marzuk Shaary, who asked about the latest status of India’s request, the ministry said no fresh application has been received for the time being.
The ministry said India’s formal extradition request for Zakir was received on Jan 19, 2018. The government later received a diplomatic note from India on May 29, 2020, asking Malaysia to reconsider.
“The Government of Malaysia has decided not to extradite Dr Zakir Naik to India. Therefore, no commitment has been given to extradite him,” the ministry said.
The decision was based on Malaysia’s rights under Article 6 of the Extradition Treaty signed with India in 2010, as well as provisions of the Extradition Act 1992, the ministry said.
Marzuk had also asked whether the documents and evidence submitted by India met the requirements of the Extradition Act and the bilateral agreement. The reply did not address that point directly.
Dr Zakir has been evading Indian authorities since 2016, when files were opened against him for allegedly making hate speeches and laundering money after five militants launched an attack at a bakery in Dhaka, Bangladesh that ended with 29 dead.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs in June 2019 said the Indian government had made a formal request to Malaysia for Dr Zakir’s extradition and would continue to pursue the matter with Malaysia, while a court in India had also in June 2019 ordered Dr Zakir to show up there.
