NEW DELHI: Zakir Naik, a controversial Islamic evangelist who fled India after being booked on terror-linked charges , landed in Pakistan on October 1, with top Islamabad officials, including PM Shehbaz Sharif , welcoming the fugitive with wide arms and cosy hugs.
Naik's welcome in Pakistan for his month-long visit seems to have been reeked with mischief by the Sharif dispensation to open a new front of contention with India, which has virtually suspended its bilateral relations with Islamabad ever since the 2017 Uri and 2019 Pulwama terror attacks -- in response to which New Delhi carried out surgical strikes and Balakot air strikes, respectively.
Ties between both the nuclear-armed neighbours, who have fought four major wars, descended to their lowest after the Modi government scrapped Article 370 on August 5, 2019, stripping Jammu and Kashmir of the special status and bringing it completely within the ambit of the Indian Consitution.
Naik Pakistan visit to fuel tension?
Amid such strained relations, Pakistan's invitation to Zakir Naik has raised eyebrows, with some experts believing that the fugitive's visit is likely to fuel tension between both nations.
"As a purveyor of hate speech, Zakir Naik has been banned from several countries including India. In giving him a royal reception, Pakistan is announcing that it is committed to embracing fundamentalism and is willing to set aside global opinion," social activist Pervez Hoodbhoy told Deutsche Welle.
Amit Ranjan, a research fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore, said: "As Pakistan is already facing violence related to social and political problems, giving space to Naik is nothing but an addition to the existing tensions."
In Naik's Pakistan visit, the only silver lining perhaps is that it provides New Delhi with a fresh opportunity to justify its claims that the neighbouring country continues to welcome and facilitate "anti-India" elements.
"There is a lesson in this invitation to Zakir Naik for those who advocate some diplomatic opening towards Pakistan, be it in sports, trade etc. Even reviving SAARC. The NC and PDP in Kashmir want India to talk to Pakistan. Shehbaz Sharif’s speech at the UN was intemperate. Linked Kashmir to Palestine, talked of India’s colonial settlement project in Kashmir and the Islamophobic Hindu supremacist agenda in India. Not a discourse intended to lower tensions with India. Shehbaz may get “shabash” domestically but won’t improve Pakistan's condition. Jaishankar gave a befitting reply in the UNGA to Sharif," Kanwal Sibal, former Indian foreign secretary, wrote on X.
The controversial "televangelist" has been living in Malaysia since India's anti-terror agency launched an investigation against him in 2016.
Naik has been accused of promoting radical views similar to those of groups like the Islamic State and the Taliban, leading to bans on his speeches in India, Bangladesh, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Naik has delivered over 1,500 public lectures since 1994, often asserting that Islam is the only true religion and criticising other faiths, as well as non-Wahhabi Islamic sects such as Shias, Sufis, and Barelvis.
Why NIA and ED are after him
Naik is the founder of Peace TV , a channel on comparative religion with a reported audience of over 100 million. It faces a ban in India in connection with alleged money laundering and hate speeches.
India also banned IRF in 2016, accusing it of encouraging followers to promote enmity and hatred. He fled India in July 2016 after Bangladeshi authorities claimed that one of the attackers on a cafe in Dhaka was inspired by Zakir Naik. The incident had left 22 people dead.
The NIA filed a charge sheet under Section 10 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and various sections of the Indian Penal Code, which has been replaced by Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The investigation revealed that Naik is the founding trustee and a member of an "unlawful association" – IRF.
Naik's welcome in Pakistan for his month-long visit seems to have been reeked with mischief by the Sharif dispensation to open a new front of contention with India, which has virtually suspended its bilateral relations with Islamabad ever since the 2017 Uri and 2019 Pulwama terror attacks -- in response to which New Delhi carried out surgical strikes and Balakot air strikes, respectively.
Ties between both the nuclear-armed neighbours, who have fought four major wars, descended to their lowest after the Modi government scrapped Article 370 on August 5, 2019, stripping Jammu and Kashmir of the special status and bringing it completely within the ambit of the Indian Consitution.
Naik Pakistan visit to fuel tension?
Amid such strained relations, Pakistan's invitation to Zakir Naik has raised eyebrows, with some experts believing that the fugitive's visit is likely to fuel tension between both nations.
"As a purveyor of hate speech, Zakir Naik has been banned from several countries including India. In giving him a royal reception, Pakistan is announcing that it is committed to embracing fundamentalism and is willing to set aside global opinion," social activist Pervez Hoodbhoy told Deutsche Welle.
Amit Ranjan, a research fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore, said: "As Pakistan is already facing violence related to social and political problems, giving space to Naik is nothing but an addition to the existing tensions."
In Naik's Pakistan visit, the only silver lining perhaps is that it provides New Delhi with a fresh opportunity to justify its claims that the neighbouring country continues to welcome and facilitate "anti-India" elements.
"There is a lesson in this invitation to Zakir Naik for those who advocate some diplomatic opening towards Pakistan, be it in sports, trade etc. Even reviving SAARC. The NC and PDP in Kashmir want India to talk to Pakistan. Shehbaz Sharif’s speech at the UN was intemperate. Linked Kashmir to Palestine, talked of India’s colonial settlement project in Kashmir and the Islamophobic Hindu supremacist agenda in India. Not a discourse intended to lower tensions with India. Shehbaz may get “shabash” domestically but won’t improve Pakistan's condition. Jaishankar gave a befitting reply in the UNGA to Sharif," Kanwal Sibal, former Indian foreign secretary, wrote on X.
The controversial "televangelist" has been living in Malaysia since India's anti-terror agency launched an investigation against him in 2016.
Naik has been accused of promoting radical views similar to those of groups like the Islamic State and the Taliban, leading to bans on his speeches in India, Bangladesh, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Naik has delivered over 1,500 public lectures since 1994, often asserting that Islam is the only true religion and criticising other faiths, as well as non-Wahhabi Islamic sects such as Shias, Sufis, and Barelvis.
Why NIA and ED are after him
Naik is the founder of Peace TV , a channel on comparative religion with a reported audience of over 100 million. It faces a ban in India in connection with alleged money laundering and hate speeches.
India also banned IRF in 2016, accusing it of encouraging followers to promote enmity and hatred. He fled India in July 2016 after Bangladeshi authorities claimed that one of the attackers on a cafe in Dhaka was inspired by Zakir Naik. The incident had left 22 people dead.
The NIA filed a charge sheet under Section 10 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and various sections of the Indian Penal Code, which has been replaced by Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The investigation revealed that Naik is the founding trustee and a member of an "unlawful association" – IRF.
You may also like
Bharat Forge Collaborates with US Defence Companies for Next-Gen Howitzers
Enormous solar flare on the Sun sparks fears of radio blackouts around the world
'If gold was in liquid form this would be it'– Estee Lauder serum gets major price cut in flash sale
"MLA GT Devegowda has spoken truth, BJP leaders should respond on Ashoka's case," Karnataka minister in MUDA scam case
