PKR secretary-general Saifudddin Nasution Ismail quoted the late PAS spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat in a veiled swipe at PAS state executive councillors who have refused to resign from the PKR-led Selangor government despite severing ties with PKR.

In particular, Saifuddin highlighted Nik Abdul Aziz's reaction when exco members from the now defunct Semangat 46 refused to resign from the Kelantan government, despite having severed ties with PAS in 1996.

"Their action (to hold on to their exco positions) is immoral and dishonourable as they have already severed political relations with PAS and Angkatan Perpaduan Ummah," Saifuddin quoted Nik Abdul Aziz as saying in a Facebook posting.

Angkatan Perpaduan Ummah was a coalition between PAS and Umno splinter party Semangat 46, which helped it to capture the Kelantan government in 1990 and 1995.

However, by 1996, ties became strained and Semangat 46 was eventually dissolved with its leader Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and large part of the party returning to Umno.

Saifuddin did not specifically mention PAS exco members in Selangor but his Facebook post came less than a day after the PAS syura council endorsed the decision taken at the muktamar to sever ties with PKR.

In a statement yesterday, Saifuddin rejected the accusations the syura council levelled against PKR in justifying the decision to cut ties.

The syura council had, among others, accused PKR of betraying the ethics of political cooperation and working against the agenda of Islam.

However, the syura council declined to decide on the fate of PAS exco members in the Selangor government and instead passed the buck to the PAS central committee.

Selangor PAS commissioner Sallehen Mukhyi insisted that despite the syura council's decision, PAS exco members would remain in the Selangor government.