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Ibrahim’s remarks come at a time when India-Malaysia bilateral ties are slowly getting back on track after former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad criticised India over its move to scrap Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir and the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act. New Delhi lodged strong protest and imposed a ban on Malaysian oil imports.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is on a state visit to India, said India has to grapple with some serious issues affecting minorities or religious sentiments. He expressed hope that New Delhi will continue to play its due role in dealing with issues faced by minorities. I will not deny the fact that you also have to grapple with some serious issues affecting minorities or religious sentiments. But our hope is that India will continue to play its due role because I told Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi that these were the years when Nehru and Zhou Enlai and Sukarno and Nyerere stood up for the Global South against colonialism and imperialism and fought to ensure that we recognise what humanity is, what freedom is and what the dignity of men and women is.
Ibrahim’s remarks come at a time when India-Malaysia bilateral ties are slowly getting back on track after former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad criticised India over the move to scrap Article 370 that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir and the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act. New Delhi lodged strong protests and imposed a ban on Malaysian oil imports. However, since Ibrahim took charge in 2022, the two countries settled trade in their respective rupee and ringgit currencies in April last year. India’s Malaysian palm oil imports have also increased. However, Zakir Naik, a controversial Islamic preacher who fled India in 2016, remains a major irritant in bilateral ties. He is currently in Malaysia after being granted asylum in 2018. Naik is wanted in India for serious terrorism-related charges after his name surfaced in connection with a horrific terror attack at the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka in July 2016.
During his address, Ibrahim indicated that his government could consider India’s request for Naik’s extradition if New Delhi provided evidence against him. He also said that the issue was not raised by the Indian side during his talks with PM Modi and stressed that this should not deter the two countries from enhancing bilateral ties.
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