Vikrant Shekhawat : Aug 21, 2024, 09:27 AM
India-Malaysia Relation: Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is considered close to Zakir Naik, but his government indicated on August 20 that it could consider India's request to hand over Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, provided India presents concrete evidence. Speaking at the Indian Council of World Affairs, Anwar Ibrahim said the issue should not hamper bilateral relations between the two countries.However, the Indian side did not raise the issue during the August 20 talks. Zakir Naik is accused of money laundering and inciting extremism through hate speeches, due to which Indian authorities have been looking for him for a long time. After leaving India in 2016, Naik was given asylum in Malaysia by the government of former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad.Prime Minister Narendra Modi had raised the matter a few years ago, but Anwar Ibrahim said he was discussing the spirit of extremism and related matters rather than an individual. He also said that his government is tough against terrorism and is ready to work closely with India, but this issue should not become an obstacle in bilateral cooperation.On the Israel-Hamas war, Anwar Ibrahim condemned the actions of the Israeli army in Gaza and called it hypocrisy of the West. He said that 40,000 people have died in the atrocities in Gaza, and this hypocrisy must end. Ibrahim stressed that any victim, whatever his religion, should get justice as a matter of humanity.