KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has received an application from India for the extradition of well-known preacher Dr Zakir Naik, Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said yesterday.
However, he said, the government was holding to its stand that it would not 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 have 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 insisted on not extraditing Zakir.
Saifuddin spoke to reporters after launching a book, 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. – Bernama
