KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 25 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today that he has accepted an invitation by Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yaakob from political rival PAS to meet up soon.

The remarks from Najib, who is also the head of Umno and the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN), come after PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang said yesterday that the Islamist opposition party is willing to sit down with Umno on the implementation of an Islamic administration in the country.

“I’m meeting the mentri besar of Kelantan soon because he’s requested to meet me,” Najib told reporters after launching the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) here today, but did not elaborate further.

Hadi had said at the PAS annual congress yesterday that if Umno says “they are committed to implement an administration that is based on Islam, let us ‘muzakarah’ (sit down and talk).”

The PAS chief also said that PAS would go ahead with implementing hudud laws in Kelantan, irrespective of whether its Pakatan Rakyat (PR) ally, the DAP, agreed to it or not.

DAP chairman Karpal Singh reportedly said yesterday that the DAP was firm in its stand that hudud law should not be implemented and that Malaysia should not be turned into an Islamic state.

Islamist group Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (ISMA), however, offered earlier today to facilitate a discussion between PAS and Umno in an attempt to implement Islamic administration in Malaysia, a multi-cultural country.

Predicting resistance from PAS’ and Umno’s allies in both PR and BN, ISMA also told the two parties to stand up to any pressure from others, such as the DAP in the opposition pact, and MCA and MIC in the ruling coalition.

ISMA deputy president Aminuddin Yahya said that Umno should accept PAS’ offer to dialogue, noting that this would show the ruling party’s sincerity in making Muslim unity “a reality”.

Buried in the run-up to the 13 general election, PAS had dusted off the covers on hudud at its annual congress to discuss revising the Federal Constitution to make the strict Islamic penal code a part of federal law.