Indian Islamic preacher Zakir Naik arrived in Pakistan this week for a month-long visit to deliver lectures in major cities, including Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore.
The 58-year-old doctor-turned-televangelist has remained a contentious figure since the early 1990s and is wanted in India where he faces charges of money laundering and hate speech.
Indian authorities have accused him of "promoting enmity and hatred between different religious groups" through his public speeches and lectures.
Speaking in Malaysia, where he has sought refuge, Naik claimed that he did not break any laws in India and he was being targeted by the "enemies of Islam."
This marks Naik's first visit to Pakistan in three decades, having last traveled there in 1992. His trip comes at the invitation of the Pakistani government, alarming many activists and critics because he has been banned in several countries — including India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the UK — due to his hardline religious views.
"I am saddened but not shocked that Zakir Naik has been invited as a state guest," nuclear physicist and social activist Pervez Hoodbhoy told DW.
"The state is adding more fuel to the fire," Hoodbhoy suggested.
Bangladesh suspended Zakir Naik's television channel, Peace TV,........