Vladivostok (Russia): Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in Russia on the sidelines of the fifth meeting of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), took up the issue of extradition of controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik with his Malaysian counterpart Mahathir Mohamad on Thursday.
Zakir Naik, who is considered a fugitive in India, has taken shelter in Malaysia.
The two prime ministers also discussed ways to diversify the bilateral ties to benefit people in both the countries.
Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said that it was decided that officials of the two countries will be in touch over Naik's extradition.
Though Gokhale did not elaborate, sources told IANS that the Malaysian Prime Minister responded positively after Modi raised the issue.
Naik is wanted in India for serious charges related to terrorism after his name cropped in connection with a ghastly terror attack at Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka in July 2016.
The Mumbai-born 53-year-old founder of the controversial 'Peace TV' has been living in Malaysia since 2017 after fleeing from India and the previous government there had granted permanent residency to him.
The current Malaysian government has so far not decided on sending him back to India but has barred him from delivering his public speeches.
His activities are under constant monitoring of the Malaysian authorities.
Gokhale said the issue of terrorism also figured in the talks between Modi and Mohamad. He said the Malaysian prime minister unequivocally condemned terrorism in all forms and stated that his country was against the menace.
The two leaders discussed ways to "cope" with the growing menace of terrorism, the foreign secretary said.
(With inputs from IANS)
