Umno president Najib Abdul Razak and PAS counterpart Abdul Hadi Awang are expected to meet up next week following the "olive branch" extended to the latter by the Umno president.

Umno supreme council member Puad Zarkashi said when interviewed by BernamaTV tonight that the two leaders would meet at a function organised by the Al-Azhar Alumni.

He said Najib would launch the function while Abdul Hadi would deliver a keynote address.

"What is important at the initial stage is for us to see how both parties can cooperate on issues relating to religious propagation, deviant teachings, liberalism, and so on," he said in Kuala Lumpur.

Puad described the meeting between the two leaders as a positive development for both parties.

Najib, while delivering his presidential address at the Umno general assembly 2015 yesterday, hinted at cooperation between Umno and PAS in nation-building according to Islamic law, following the ouster of PAS by its allies in the opposition.

Puad said delegates debating the president's speech were also supportive of Najib's gesture, that PAS should no longer be regarded as Umno's political enemy.

Abdul Hadi's earlier statement also showed that the party was ready to rekindle its relations with Umno, he said.

- Bernama