 He also served as the Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).In November 2006, Zaki, then acting President of the MDP, was arrested for "inciting enmity against the lawful government".In November 2012, Zaki and his son Mohamed Hamdan Zaki were among the arrested in Hondaidhoo Island in the Maldives along with two other Members of Parliament, in an alcohol and drug related bust.