Malaysian PM Mahathir says Zakir Naik will not be deported to India

Kuala Lumpur : Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Friday said that controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik will not be deported to India.
“Zakir Naik would not be sent back as long as he was not creating any problem in Malaysia,” Mahathir Mohamad said while addressing a press conference in Kuala Lumpur.
A founder of the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) Zakir , left India in 2016 for Malaysia, where he was granted permanent residency. He is wanted in India for allegedly conducted terror-related activities and hate speech.
“As long as he is not creating any problem, we will not deport him because he has been given permanent residency status,” Mahathir said.
India has made a formal request for the extradition of Naik. India’s Ministry of External Affairs said Thursday the country’s request is under ‘active consideration’.
Earlier this week, Naik denied reports that he was returning to India, calling them “totally baseless and false”.
In a statement, he said, “The news of my coming to India is totally baseless and false. I have no plans to come to India till I don’t feel safe from unfair prosecution.”