PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man hopes that PKR political appointees in the PAS-led Kelantan government will not relinquish their positions, even though the Islamic party has formally severed its ties with PKR.

"What PKR wants to do is its right, but the Kelantan government hopes that PKR will remain until the coming general election," he told journalists during a breaking of fast function of his party with the media in Kuala Lumpur today.

Tuan Ibrahim added that if PKR was adamant on quitting from the Kelantan government, then PAS would make new appointments to fill the vacancies.

"The political appointees (from PKR) in the Kelantan government make up around 52 people. We'll have then to replace them with new appointments from the party (PAS)," he said.

The PKR political bureau had on May 16 instructed all of its political appointees in the PAS-led Kelantan government to resign.

However, Kelantan Menteri Besar Ahmad Yakob pointed out last Saturday that none of the PKR political appointees had resigned.

PKR's Guchil assemblyperson Mohd Roslan Puteh later confirmed that the party's political appointees had yet to resign and that Kelantan PKR was still negotiating on this with the PKR central leadership.

PKR deputy president Azmin Ali, who is also Selangor Menteri Besar, had also decided to retain PAS members in the Selangor government.

On a separate matter, Tuan Ibrahim is mooting whether to contest in the Pujut state by-election.

PAS' Jofri Jariee was among the four candidates, including those from BN and DAP, who contested for the seat last year.

The seat fell vacant after the incumbent, Dr Ting Tiong Choon of the DAP, was disqualified for allegedly possessing a foreign citizenship.

Ting is challenging the disqualification and is seeking to stay the by-election pending a legal resolution.