Fear of ISI label forced me to migrate to Malaysia instead of Pakistan, reveals Dr Zakir Naik

Renowned Indian Islamic scholar Dr Zakir Naik revealed that he avoided migrating to Pakistan due to concerns about being accused of collaborating with Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

He made the remarks in his recent appearance on a podcast hosted by Pakistani comedian Nadir Ali.

During the interview, the preacher shared his thoughts on various topics, including his early life, education, and the overall situation of Muslims in India. 

He shared that returning to India from Malaysia, where he has taken shelter, would mean imprisonment.

"Going to India means going to jail for me. Indian government views me as No. 1 terrorist," the scholar added.

Dr Naik, in a striking revelation, disclosed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's representative contacted him in Malaysia, seeking his support for revoking Kashmir's special status.

"I was not willing to support any move that would harm the Muslim community or violate their rights," he explained.

Dr Naik also criticised the Modi government for tampering with the Indian Constitution and ending Kashmir's special status in 2019.

On August 5, 2019, the Narendra Modi-led Indian government illegally abrogated Article 370 of the constitution.

The move allowed people from the rest of India to have the right to acquire property in occupied Kashmir and settle there permanently.

Article 370 had also limited the power of the Indian parliament to impose laws in the state, apart from matters of defence, foreign affairs and communications.

When asked why he didn't migrate to Pakistan instead of Malaysia, Dr Naik explained that visiting Pakistan would have jeopardised his Da'wa work and potentially led to his organisation being shut down in India under false charges.

"Indian government could have accused me of working with the ISI or shut down my organisation under any other charge.

"There is a principle of Shariat that small loss should be tolerated to avoid big loss."

The Islamic scholar said that he had planned to visit Pakistan in 2020 but was unable to do so due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

He now plans to visit Pakistan again to "connect with larger Muslim community and continue his Da'wa work without interference".

"My goal is to remove misconceptions about Islam and promote human values," Dr Zakir Naik concluded.