Video shows Zakir Naik refuses to present awards to orphan girls in Pak, says they aren't 'daughters'

A video showing controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik refusing to give awards to young orphan girls in Pakistan has gone viral on social media. The purported video shows Zakir Naik abruptly leaving the stage at an event hosted by Pakistan Sweet Home Foundation.

Naik was invited to present awards to the young orphan girls but exited the venue when the host called them for felicitation. When the announcer referred to the girls as "daughters", Naik said it was not appropriate to refer them as "daughters", reports suggest.

Watch the video here


Zakir Naik reportedly said these girls can't be called as 'daughters' as they are "eligible for marriage. “You cannot touch them or call them your daughters,” he was quoted as saying, adding that the girls were considered “non-mahrams”. In Islam, non-mahrams refer to those who are eligible for marriage.

Zakir Naik Meets Pakistan PM

Zakir Naik arrived in Pakistan on Monday at the invitation of the Government of Pakistan amid tight security for his lecture series at Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore. He is set to have public interactions across the country, according to a report in The Express Tribune.
Naik is wanted in India in an alleged money laundering case and is known for his provocative speeches.

On Wednesday, Zakir Naik called on Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who praised his lectures and said they are "insightful and impactful". Sharif told Naik that his speeches has a significant following among young audiences, state-run Radio Pakistan reported. In a post on X, Naik wrote that he interacted with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. He also posted a picture of himself with Sharif.



"Islam is a religion of peace, and you are doing an important duty by spreading the true message of Islam among people," Sharif told Naik. It was Naik's first visit to Pakistan in three decades - the last time he visited was in 1992.

Zakir Naik is wanted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in India in a money laundering case. He left India in 2016 and was granted permanent residency in Malaysia by the previous government led by Mahathir Mohamed.

Earlier in August, while on a visit to India, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that if sufficient evidence is presented in the case related to fugitive preacher Zakir Naik then the country will 'not condone terrorism'.

(With agency inputs)