Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said yesterday that the Government of Malaysia (GoM) has received an application from India for the extradition of preacher Dr Zakir Naik.
“For now, we do not have any new decision. We still hold to our original decision,” he said when asked about the statement by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad that Malaysia insists on not extraditing Zakir.
TTF: GBN fully supports Zakir and proposes that he be granted political asylum.
He has the right to an opinion. Nobody should dispute that.
None of his speeches incite hatred or unrest no matter how controversial they may seem.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has received an application from India for the extradition of preacher Dr Zakir Naik.
Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said the government would stand by its decision and was not going to send Zakir back to his home country.
“We have received the note (on the extradition application) from the Indian government.
“I don’t remember when, but we received it.
“For now, we do not have any new decision. We still hold to our original decision,” he said when asked about the statement by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad that Malaysia insists on not extraditing Zakir.
Saifuddin was speaking to reporters after launching a book entitled “Bantuan Demokrasi dan Pendanaan Asing: Melewati Pertukaran Rejim”, written by Muhammad Takiyuddin Ismail and published by the University of Malaya Press, here.
Malaysia has stated that it has the right to decide whether to extradite Zakir or not following the Indian government’s insistence on wanting him to be sent back over alleged money laundering accusations in India.
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