Jailed former opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim appeared glad when informed that former Umno supreme council member Saifuddin Abdullah has joined PKR.

This was according to his wife and PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who met Anwar after he was briefly allowed out of prison to attend a court matter.

"Anwar is unwell, but he appeared happy when he found out that Saifuddin will be joining PKR today.

"He hopes that more people will join PKR," Wan Azizah told journalists at the Kuala Lumpur Syariah Court this morning.

Anwar, who is serving a five-year jail term for sodomy, was allowed out of Sungai Buloh prison to sort out legal paperwork for his qazaf application against Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

Anwar insists his conviction was politically motivated and is initiating qazaf (false accusation of adultery or sodomy) proceedings against his accuser.

Azizah said Anwar viewed Saifuddin's entry into PKR as a boost to uplifting the party's spirits.

On her husband's health, Azizah said Anwar was losing weight and hoped that he would be given the necessary medical treatment.

"He is facing some pain today but he is on painkillers," she said.

Show-cause letter

In Umno, Saifuddin was considered as a maverick as his views were often not in line with the more dominant and conservative elements of the party.

Saifuddin last month attended a roundtable discussion organised by the opposition parties in his capacity as chief executive director of the Global Movement of Moderates - a meeting that resulted in the formation of Pakatan Harapan.

However, he was slapped with a show-cause letter by Umno, which also threatened to take disciplinary action against him.

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