Vladivostok, September 5: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his Malaysian counterpart in Russia and raised the issue of controversial Islamic preacher and televangalist Zakir Naik's extradition. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a visit to Russia, met Malaysia's PM Mahathir Bin Mohamad on Thursday. Addressing a press conference after the meeting of the leaders, India's Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said in a statement that the issue of Zakir Naik's exradition is an important issue for India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mahathir Bin Mohamad agreed on ways to make the extradition possible, suggested Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale. Mumbai born preacher Zakir Naik is wanted in India for alleged money laundering and hate speech cases.

In a statement to the press, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with PM of Malaysia that, "Prime Minister Modi raised the issue of Zakir Naik's extradition. Both the parties have decided that our officials will stay in contact regarding the matter and it is an important issue for us." Zakir Naik in Trouble? Malaysia Govt Bars Controversial Islamic Preacher From Addressing Event After His 'Racist' Comments on Ethnic Minorities.

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Zakir Naik was in trouble lately in Malaysia, the country he has been living in since he fled India in 2016. The Controversial Islamic preacher issued an apology for his comments after the popular televengalist faced flak for making alleged "racist" remarks on the ethnic minoroties in Malaysia, including Hindus and the Chinese living in Malaysia at an event on August 8. The apology by Naik comes after Malaysia had imposed a ban on him from delievering sermons and addressing crowds. There were reports that some ministers in Malaysia PM Mahathir Bin Mohamad's cabinet wanted Naik to be extradited. India, Russia Sign 25 Agreements At 20th Annual Bilateral Summit; PM Narendra Modi Says, 'New Delhi, Moscow Are Against Outside Influence in Internal Matters of Any Nation'.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Russia on a two-day visit and is the first Indian prime minister to visit to the Russian Far East Region. PM Narendra Modi has met Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe apart from Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Bin Mohamad. Prime Minister Modi arrived in Russia on Wednesday to participate in the 20th India-Russia annual summit and the fifth meeting of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF). On his arrival, Modi received a guard of honour at Vladivostok International Airport.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 05, 2019 09:39 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).