The Malaysian government has applied to strike out an application by Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia chairperson P Waythamoorthy and 16 other activists that controversial preacher Zakir Naik is a threat to Malaysia's safety and therefore should not be granted permanent resident status.

In questioning the legal standing of the 17, Senior Federal Counsel Suzana Atan and Shamsul Bolhassan said that since Zakir was not named as a defendant in the action, the declaration sought by the group could not be granted.

Saying that the 17 applicants should have filed for a judicial review instead of a suit, the two counsel also noted that the applicants had failed to show how the decisions made by the defendants - who were the Home Minister, the Immigration Department, the inspector-general of police and the National Registration Department - had affected their rights...