Bangladesh’s interim government has decided not to allow controversial Islamic preacher and Indian-origin fugitive Zakir Naik to enter the country. The decision was taken on Tuesday during a meeting of the Law and Order Core Committee held at the Home Ministry office in Dhaka.
According to reports cited by the Bangladeshi daily Prothom Alo, the committee discussed information regarding Naik’s possible visit to Bangladesh. Officials reportedly expressed concern that his arrival could attract huge crowds, creating significant law-and-order challenges.
The report noted that authorities feared large gatherings around Naik could require a massive deployment of security forces. At present, the government believes it is not feasible to allocate such a large number of law enforcement officers for crowd control, especially given other national priorities and security responsibilities. Therefore, the committee decided that Zakir Naik would not be permitted to visit Bangladesh.
Decision Taken in Core Committee Meeting
The meeting was chaired by Lieutenant General (Retd.) Mohammad Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, who serves as the adviser to the interim government on home affairs. The issue came into focus after an event management company named Spark Event Management recently announced on Facebook that they were bringing Naik to Bangladesh in late November.
The company claimed to be the sole authorised organiser of “Dr Zakir Naik Bangladesh Tour 2025” and stated that the event would be held with permission from the government and cooperation from relevant authorities. However, this announcement appears to have been made without official confirmation, leading to concerns within the government.
Separately, Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also reacted to comments made by India regarding Naik’s potential visit. Ministry spokesperson SM Mahbubul Alam told ANI that Bangladesh had taken note of the remarks made by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson. He emphasised that Bangladesh believes no country, including India, should provide shelter to any wanted person or fugitive accused in another country.
Zakir Naik, who is wanted in India on charges related to money laundering and hate speech, has been living in Malaysia since leaving India in 2016. His controversial statements and alleged links to extremist ideologies have led to restrictions on his activities in multiple countries.
