Modi meets Malaysian PM, discusses Kashmir and raises Zakir Naik’s extradition

TIL Desk/National/Vladivostok/ Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday explained to his Malaysian counterpart Mahathir Mohamad the rationale behind New Delhi’s decision on Jammu and Kashmir and sought the extradition of controversial Indian televangelist Zakir Naik, who is wanted in India for fuelling terrorism.

Prime Minister Modi met the Malaysian Prime Minister on the sidelines of the fifth meeting of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) held here in the Russian Far East Region. “Prime Minister Modi raised the issue of Zakir Naik’s extradition. Both the parties have decided that our officials will stay in contact regarding the matter and it is an important issue for us,” Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said on PM Modi’s meeting with Mahathir.

Naik, a 53-year-old radical television preacher, reportedly left India in 2016 and subsequently moved to largely Muslim Malaysia, where he was granted permanent residency. He has been banned from from any public activities in the multi-ethnic country after his remarks against Malaysian Hindus and Chinese on August 8.