In a big blow to India’s quest to bring back Zakir Naik and put him through court trials, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Friday said that controversial Islamic preacher will not be sent back. Mohamad’s statement came amid reports that the NGO Islamic Research Foundation founder will be extradited to India.

Addressing a press conference in Malaysia’s administrative capital Putrajaya, Mahathir said: ‘As long as he is not creating any problem, we will not deport him because he has been given permanent residency status.’

The Malaysia PM’s statement came a day after the Indian government said that the Malaysian authorities are ‘actively’ considering India’s request to extradite Zakir Naik, reports timesnownews.com. Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Raveesh Kumar on Thursday said that India had made a formal request for Naik’s extradition ‘as per the extradition treaty we have in place with Malaysia’.

‘At this stage, all I can say is that our request is under active consideration of the Malaysian authorities. Our High Commission in Kuala Lumpur is in regular touch with relevant authorities in Malaysia,’ Kumar had added. Notably, Naik is facing a number of charges, including delivering hate speech, funding terrorists and money laundering.

On Wednesday, the televangelist had refuted reports that he would be returning to India. ‘The news of my coming to India is totally baseless and false. I have no plans to come to India till I don’t feel safe from unfair prosecution. When I feel that the government will be just and fair, I will surely return to my homeland (Sic),’ Naik had said in a statement.

Naik had fled India on 01 July 2016, after it surfaced that terrorists involved in a terror attack in Bangladesh’s Dhaka were inspired by Naik’s hate-speeches. The Indian authorities had begun tightening the noose around Naik after the revelation. In November 2016, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a case against Naik under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Indian Penal Code. The IRF has been declared an unlawful association.