Fugitive radical Islamic preacher Zakir Naik landed in Pakistan’s Islamabad on Monday for his lectures in several major cities including Karachi and Lahore. He will conclude his visit with a lecture in Islamabad on October 28.
As per reports, he will also lead and address Friday prayer congregations in these cities.
The Prime Minister's Youth Program Chairman Rana Mashhood, the Parliamentary Secretary for Religious Affairs Shamsher Ali Mazari, the Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Religious Affairs Syed Dr. Atta-ur-Rehman, and others greeted him upon his arrival at the New Islamabad Airport.
Naik announced his trip through his social media handles and shared details of the public lectures he will deliver in Pakistan.
He is set to begin his tour on October 5, starting with Karachi, then Lahore, and finishing in Islamabad.
Earlier on Monday, Zakir Naik took to X and shared a video explaining why he has reduced the frequency of his public lectures.
"The number of individuals attending public speeches has grown every year if you count them. I used to travel to a city and give presentations for five days, maybe 15, or two weeks and give talks for 20, but these days I travel to a nation and give talks solely on the weekends. However, the combined attendance for those two sessions is far higher than that of 10 talks. That is only one explanation, though not the only one."
He continued, saying, "We also record this on the media, and when it goes on the social media, the social media people watch to a larger number, on social media and on the satellite channel. So when we started the satellite channel in 2006, our main focus was to see to it that programs on the satellite channels are good. So my talks became less, but the reach became more.”
Who is Zakir Naik?
Zakir Naik, who is well-known for his divisive opinions, has encountered legal issues in India, including charges of inciting hate and money laundering. In 2016, he escaped to Malaysia and has remained a contentious figure ever since.
