The PAS syura council has unanimously appointed former Perlis PAS commissioner Hashim Jasin as the party’s new spiritual leader following the death of its predecessor Haron Din.

The decision was made during a meeting at the PAS headquarters in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

The syura council also uninamously agreed to retain Kelantan Menteri Besar Ahmad Yakob as the party’s deputy spiritual leader.

Syura council secretary Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh confirmed that although Ahmad was eligible to hold the post of spiritual leader, he was maintained in his current position due to his busy schedule as menteri besar.

Ahmad had himself appealed to the syura council to choose others who were eligible to become PAS spiritual leader.

“We chose Hashim because he is the oldest in the syura council. Apart from that, his knowledge and political views are sound and vast,” Nik Muhammad told PAS organ Harakahdaily yesterday.

He also confirmed that Hashim’s appointment was suggested by Ahmad himself.

Yesterday’s meeting was chaired by Ahmad, who held the post of temporary spiritual leader following Haron’s death on Sept 16 at the Stanford University Hospital in San Francisco, after he was admitted for heart complications.