Taken up the matter with Oman’s government: India on extradition of Zakir Naik

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India: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday said that it will take all the necessary actions required to bring back radical Islamic preacher Zakir Naik and have him face justice in India.

Addressing a weekly press conference, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “Zakir Naik is an accused in numerous cases in India. He is a fugitive from justice. We have taken up the matter with the government of Oman and its authorities.”

Bagchi’s remarks came days after Zakir Naik arrived in Oman a “state guest”. The controversial preacher will be delivering his first lecture on “Holy Quran is a Global Necessity” in the country.

Responding to a question on whether Naik will be extradited from Oman, Arindam Bagchi said he needs to confirm with the ratified list if India has an extradition treaty with Oman or not.

“As regards the extradition part, I will check on this. I think the list of countries we have an extradition treaty is already in the public domain and Oman is not on the list. However, I do need to reconfirm,” he said.

Zakir Naik is a wanted man in India. He is facing charges of spreading hate and also involved in money laundering cases. He is also accused of promoting hate and disharmony through his speeches. The Islamic preacher’s speeches are often seen as objectionable as he has been extolling known terrorists promoting conversions and terrorism.

Zakir Naik fled India in 2016 and moved to Malaysia and has reportedly secured permanent residency there. The Indian government declared his Islamic Research Foundation unlawful in 2022.

The Government of India had even taken his channel, Peace TV, off the air for peddling hate propaganda.

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