Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif warmly welcomed the Controversial Islamic Preacher Zakir Naik, wanted in India on terror-related charges, with wide arms and hugs in Islamabad on October 1. The month-long visit and rolling out of the red carpet by Pakistan for the fugitive has raised eyebrows in India towards the Sharif government at a time when the relationship between Pakistan and India has reached low points.
India has expressed deep concern over Pakistan’s decision to treat Naik as a state guest and roll out the red carpet for him though the latter made provocative statements during his visit. According to sources, this was Pakistan’s other attempt to use Naik for radicalisation of Muslims, after sheltering Sikh terrorists.
This comes after Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif praised the fugitive for his lectures and for introducing Islam’s identity to the world.
During his visit, Naik stirred another controversy by walking out of the event organized by the Pakistan Sweet Home Foundation, in support of orphaned girls. He walked out straight when the announcer referred to them as ‘daughters’ and asked him to present the award.
“You can’t touch them or refer to them like that,” he said, adding that the girls are considered ‘non-mahrams.’
Zakir Naik, wanted for inciting extremism through hate speeches, left India in 2016. After leaving the country, he was given permanent residency by the previous administration led by Mahathir Mohamad. Since then, he has been avoiding the legal consequences while continuing controversial activities abroad.
