PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said those engrossed in the blame game over the violence at the Nothing to Hide 2.0 forum have forgotten that it was sparked off by the unsatisfactory response regarding the Memali incident.

He noted that PAS was the victim of that episode, which led to the Islamist party losing one of its leaders, Ibrahim Mahmud.

“Thank you to those who sought an explanation for the Memali incident. Those who failed to answer the question should not get upset...

“The youths alone should not be faulted (for the fracas), the cause of it should also be blamed,” Hadi said in a media statement that did not mention Dr Mahathir Mohamad's name.

The Memali confrontation in Kedah occurred in November 1985 when police laid siege around an Islamic sect with about 400 followers.

In the ensuing clash, 14 villagers and four police personnel were killed. Ibrahim, who was popularly known as Ibrahim Libya, also perished in the incident.

Sunday's Nothing to Hide 2.0 forum witnessed flares being ignited as well as chairs and slippers thrown in the direction of Mahathir as he was answering a question on the Memali incident.

The opposition has pointed the finger at Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and Umno. But the latter has blamed it on dissatisfaction within the opposition coalition towards Mahathir.

The police have arrested three youths in connection with the incident.

Meanwhile, Hadi said during the Memali incident, PAS ulama had declared that those who were killed were martyrs, and that they were defending Islam.

“At the time, Ibrahim and his friends were blamed. Those who often insulted Islam and its tenets were not blamed...

“Many civil servants, police personnel and those in Umno disagreed with the approach that led to the deaths of police personnel, who were forced (to act) against Ibrahim and his friends...,” he added.

In an obvious reference to Mahathir, the PAS president said those “who cast the stones are now hiding their hands” when talking about the Memali incident.

“There is no point in dredging up an old issue without repenting or asking for an apology... as well as correcting the situation by paying what is due and replacing what should be replaced,” he added.

Earlier this month, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi claimed that Mahathir had attempted to pin the blame on his then deputy, Musa Hitam, for what happened in Memali.

Zahid cited Musa's biography, in which the former deputy prime minister said Mahathir was in the country when the incident occurred, contrary to the claims that he was in China.

“That person (Mahathir) was in Malaysia but he put the blame on Musa, and Musa was made a scapegoat by that person,” Zahid said.