PAS Youth chief Mahfuz Omar alleged today Umno was responsible for the "mysterious" deaths of several opposition leaders after it failed to capture Kelantan — a PAS stronghold — in the 1960s.

His accusations were made at the Youth wing's annual general assembly in Kota Bahru this afternoon, which was attended by 200 delegates.

Mahfuz said that in 1967, shortly after Umno set up its Youth wing, PAS leaders such as former Youth acting chief Abd Samad Ghul Ahmad Mianji and then PAS commissioner of Perlis Tahrim Ariffin, were killed.

However, Mahfuz did not say how the two died.

"Umno tried to oust the PAS government in Kelantan in 1968 but their evil plan did not succeed because of Allah," said Mahfuz, who is also member of parliament for Pokok Sena.

The PAS Youth chief added that during the 1969 general election, two other former PAS Youth chairpersons — Jaiz Anwar and Hassan Shukri — received deaths threats from Umno.

Mahfuz contended that Umno had often tried to "assassinate the career of many PAS leaders".

He alluded this to the "mysterious" road accident which killed PAS deputy president Prof Dr Zulkifli Mohammad and his wife, and the detention of party president Prof Dr Burhanuddin Al-Helmy under the Internal Security Act, a controversial security law which permits indefinite detention without trial.

Mahfuz said after the May 13, 1969 riots — in which racial clashes in Kuala Lumpur saw the deaths of hundreds — PAS joined Umno to help restore political stability in the country.

Attacks from within

"But Umno had its hidden agenda and launched attacks at us from within [the ruling coalition]. They caused us to lose in Kelantan in 1978 and then kicked us out," said the Youth chief when explaining PAS' departure from the government after a four-year partnership.

He also alleged that during a by-election in 1985, Umno again resorted to violence and killed a PAS worker Osman Talib and hurt several others.

"The total destruction of opponent's strength as pursued by Umno did not stop there. In November that year, they 'martyred' 14 members and supporters of PAS in the Memali tragedy, including Ibrahim Libya," he said.

In the controversial incident, 14 followers of religious leader Ibrahim died following a violent stand-off with the security forces in the village of Memali near Baling, Kedah. Four police officers were also killed.

Mahfuz urged all Youth members to re-strategise on how to take on the Umno-led ruling coalition in the next general election.

He also accused the government of many wrongdoings, including the misappropriation of people's fund for bailing out cronies' companies, corruption, secular policies which led to the weakening of faith in society, and violation of human rights.

PAS will kick off its three-day annual general assembly tomorrow.

It is expected that it will focus on the party as well as the opposition front's preparation for the next general election, which is expected to be in 2004 or earlier.