Kuala Lumpur, August 20: The Malaysian government on Tuesday banned controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik from giving public speeches anywhere in South Asian country. The latest development comes a day after Naik was quizzed for over 10 hours by police for his remarks against Malaysian Hindus.

According to a local media MalayMail, the Malaysian government is currently waiting for the result of the investigation whether the leader's alleged "inflammatory remarks" against minorities residing in the country. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Bin Mohamad said, as the daily quotes, "He (Zakir) has PR status. We can take away the PR status if he does something that is detrimental to the well-being of the nation." Zakir Naik Demands Apology From Four Malaysian Ministers For 'Defamatory' Comments After Preacher Faces Fire For ‘Racist’ Remarks

Adding on, Mahathir even informed that if the proved guilty by the police, the administration will take away his Permanent Resident (PR) status. He said, "At this moment the police are investigating if he is doing that or not. If he is doing it, then it is necessary for us to take away his PR status."

The Malaysian PM opined that there was a need to take action to prevent Naik from making provocative speeches, else it could lead to communal tension in the country. Asked about public apology by Naik, Mahathir said, "At this moment, leave it to the police to investigate on the seriousness of the statements that he had made."

Earlier, Zakir Naik was reportedly barred by Malaysian authorities from addressing an Islamic event from August 16-18, after he allegedly made racist remarks last week. Living in Malaysia for the last three years, Naik was granted permanent residence.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 20, 2019 10:26 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).