Bangladesh to give red carpet welcome to Zakir Naik 9 years after Dhaka attack

In a major policy shift, Bangladesh's interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus is preparing to roll out a red carpet for controversial Islamic preacher and wanted Indian fugitive Zakir Naik. The Yunus-led administration has approved a month-long nationwide tour for Naik, marking his first-ever visit to Bangladesh.

According to event organisers, the tour, scheduled from November 28 to December 20, 2025, has been officially approved by the government and is being facilitated by officials. Naik is expected to deliver a series of sermons across the country during his stay.

The move signals a striking departure from the policies of the previous Sheikh Hasina government, which had banned Zakir Naik's Peace TV following the July 2016 Dhaka Holey Artisan Bakery terror attack.

Within hours of that attack, Naik fled India after one of the attackers told Bangladeshi investigators that he had been influenced by Naik's preaching through his YouTube channel.

The preacher has since remained a fugitive, facing charges in India of hate speech and inciting communal disharmony. The Investigation Agency (NIA) lodged a case against him under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (now Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita).

India has repeatedly sought his extradition from Malaysia, where Naik has lived since 2016, but Kuala Lumpur has not complied.

The Bangladesh government's approval of Naik's tour comes less than a year after Pakistan hosted him for a similar nationwide visit. Last year, the Pakistan government gave Naik a red carpet welcome upon his arrival in Islamabad.

During that visit, he was spotted meeting members of the banned terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), including commander Muzammil Iqbal Hashmi, Muhammad Harris Dhar, and Faisal Nadeem - all designated international terrorists by the United States in 2008.

Footage authenticated by India Today showed Naik embracing Hashmi and other LeT members at Lahore's Badshahi Mosque, where he addressed a massive gathering of over 150,000 people amid tight security provided by Lahore police.

- Ends