One of the highlights of former national cricket hero-turned-Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's official visit to Malaysia last month was most certainly the lighthearted moment when Dr Siti Hasmah Ali excitedly asked, and got to, hold his hand during a photo session.

"He (Imran) said yes, so can lah!" Siti Hasmah said yesterday, according to Star TV, as she recalled the moment which reportedly earned her fans in Pakistan after a video started making rounds on the Internet.

Speaking to reporters following a cheque presentation ceremony to three NGOs organised by Global Doctors Hospital yesterday, the wife of Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad took a humorous detour in her speech to address the incident, which she joked had caused much "jealousy", and to explain why she so wanted to hold Khan's hand.

"Imran came to have lunch with Mahathir and I was, of course, invited lah. He didn't bring his wife, it would have been terrible for me if he had brought his wife," she said in jest and added that the world leader did not shake her hand when they greeted.

"[...] Pakistani (men) never want to shake hands with Muslim women. That insulted me.

"I met the Pakistani ambassador (during the lunch) and asked, 'Doesn't Mr Imran shake hands?'

"[...] He said maybe he was shy and was waiting for me to put out my hand," she added.

Feeling determined, she explained that that was what she did when she went to take a photo with Khan and Mahathir at the end of the luncheon.

"We took our position and I asked him, Mr Imran, can I take your hand? He said yes, so can lah!

"That's why I held his hand," she said to laughter from the audience.

'Another illustrious son'

In the video of the photo session, during Khan's two-day visit to Malaysia on Nov 21, a petite Siti Hasmah could be heard asking the towering Pakistani prime minister if she could hold his hand, to which he replied "Sure!"

Upon holding his hand, Siti Hasmah proceeded to beam at waiting photographers with a cheeky smile as Khan and Mahathir laughed on.

"Why did I want to take his hands? Because he is yet another illustrious son who came to our humble abode.

"Twice he came to Malaysia and twice he came to our house. So what's wrong with that? Why is that a problem? Why are you jealous?" she quipped to much laughter.

Of course, she also took the time to rib her children, claiming her daughter, activist Marina, has texted her later to tell her that "another handsome guy is the prime minister of Canada (Justin Trudeau)."

However, it wasn't all cheek and girl-like enthusiasm which prompted her act, as elaborating further, Siti Hasmah explained that it was ultimately an act of courtesy.

"They treat me as a mother," she said.