Hashim Jasin appointed PAS spiritual leader

PETALING JAYA: The PAS Syura Council has unanimously appointed Hashim Jasin (pic) as the party’s new spiritual leader, replacing the late Datuk Dr Haron Din.

Syura Council secretary Datuk Dr Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh said the council had made the decision during a meeting on Sunday evening.

He told the party’s news organ Harakah that Hashim was selected as he was the most senior member of the Syura Council and was a person of sound knowledge and political views.

The council also unanimously agreed that Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yakob was to remain as the party’s deputy spiritual leader despite being qualified to hold the higher post.

In explaining its reasoning, the council said Ahmad was frequently engaged with his duties as Mentri Besar, adding that Ahmad himself had appealed to the council to select someone else for the position.

According to the PAS constitution, the spiritual leader’s appointment is made every five years. However, this appointment comes a year and a half after the previous one, following Dr Haron’s death in San Francisco, United States last month due to heart complications.