PETALING JAYA: PKR vice-president Amirudin Shari this evening denied his party had a hand in the arrest of Bersama co-founder Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad by religious authorities for alleged khalwat (close proximity).
Amirudin said PKR had better things to focus on than to frame Nik Nazmi for khalwat, Sinar Harian reported. “We have never discussed openly or privately about framing our political rivals. We didn’t do this,” he was quoted as saying.
Earlier today, the Selangor Islamic religious council denied allegations of a plot to arrest Nik Nazmi, a former PKR vice-president, saying it had acted on a complaint.
“When a complaint is lodged, we are required to conduct a thorough investigation,” council chairman Salehuddin Saidin said.
Nik Nazmi, a former MP for Setiawangsa, this morning confirmed that he was one of two people detained by the Selangor authorities over allegations of khalwat in Petaling Jaya on Thursday.
He admitted a “lapse in judgment” on his part, but denied engaging in immoral acts with a colleague. He said they had initially held a discussion at their studio in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, before deciding to continue it in Petaling Jaya to review materials related to a project.
Nik Nazmi was subsequently suspended by Bersama for three months.