The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday extended the ban on controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik’s Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) by another five years under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The ministry said the organisation continued to engage in activities that threatened national security and communal harmony.

The MHA said IRF and its founder-president, Zakir Abdul Karim Naik, continued to encourage and assist their followers in spreading enmity, hatred and ill-will between different religious communities.

“The statements and speeches made by Dr Zakir Naik, the president of the IRF, are objectionable and subversive,” the notification signed by Home Ministry Joint Secretary Rakesh Rathi stated. It added that Naik had delivered radical speeches and made statements to millions of people worldwide.

The notification accused Naik of promoting hatred between religious groups and inspiring young people of a particular religion in India and abroad to carry out terrorist activities. It warned that failing to control these activities would allow IRF to continue its alleged subversive operations and reorganise its activists who remain absconding.

The ministry also warned that IRF could disrupt India's secular fabric by influencing people's minds, spreading anti-national sentiments and escalating secessionism through support for militancy.

Naik left India in 2016, shortly after terrorists behind an attack on a cafe in Dhaka, Bangladesh, claimed to have been inspired by him. Indian government subsequently banned Naik and IRF for five years in November 2016. It renewed the ban in 2021. The latest order came a day before the previous ban was due to expire.

Naik currently lives in Malaysia, where he received permanent residency under former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's administration. India has repeatedly sought his extradition to face charges of money laundering and incitement to extremism.

In October 2024, Naik met Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad. He visited Pakistan again in February 2025.