Zakir Naik, a radical preacher from India, currently being sheltered by Malaysia, has posted a photo of himself and Taliban intelligence chief Abdul Haq Wasiq on the social media platform X. Naik has not provided any details about the meeting, and it is not clear where or when the photo was taken.

Naik, who is wanted in India for money laundering and alleged extremist activities, recently met former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Punjab (pakistan) Chief Minister Mariam Nawaz. India criticised Pakistan for hosting fugitive preacher Zakir Naik, raising concerns over the support extended to a wanted individual.

Did Zakir Naik meet the Taliban intel head to mediate peace between Pakistan and the Taliban?

Pakistan through myriads of entities and people, is trying to douse the fire in Pakistan’s North and South Waziristan caused by Taliban-backed Pakistani rebel group TTP. Today Taliban’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi met Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Affairs Mohammad Sadiq to discuss Afghan refugees in Pakistan and to negotiate peace along Durand line.

Abdul Haq Wasiq:

Abdul Haq Wasiq is a well-known figure in the Taliban who was active in Taliban intelligence during the group’s early rule. He was the deputy director general of intelligence during the Talian’s first takeover of Afghanistan from 1996 until 2001.He was also overseeing Al Qaeeda’s training camps. He was arrested by American forces after the September 11 attacks and spent 12 years in Guantanamo Bay prison.

After the Taliban reached an agreement with the United States in 2020, he was released along with several senior officials of the group in a prisoner exchange in 2014. Wasiq, and the other members of the Taliban who were released were required to stay in Qatar for 12 months as a condition of their release. After the fall of Kabul in 2021, Wasiq was appointed by the group’s leader as the head of Taliban intelligence.