ALOR SETAR, April 27 — PAS will introduce higher Shariah sentencing limits in the five states the party aims to control after the next general election, PAS Youth chief Nik Mohamad Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz said today.

Nik Abduh said this was also contingent, however, on PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang's private member's Bill being passed by Parliament.

He then urged the Islamist party's youth wing to help realise Hadi's ambition for PAS to rule five states and win 40 parliamentary seats in the next election.

"If it is fated that Act 355 is passed in Parliament, and PAS manages to rule five states in GE14, we actually have the powers to amend Shariah enactments at the state levels," Nik Abduh said during his opening speech at the PAS Youth Muktamar here today.

Act 355 refers to the the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 that Hadi is proposing to amend in order to increase its sentencing limits by up to 10 times of the current rates.

Nik Abduh said that PAS is also aiming to win 60 per cent of youth votes in every seat it contests by fielding more young candidates.

"This will give us the opportunity to show the beauty of Islam that is yet to be seen in Malaysia,” he said.

He urged all the PAS Youth chiefs in respective states to ask if their state would be one of the "lucky states” to be won by the party.

PAS has set its sights on emerging as the leading party in Selangor, and also to win Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Kedah in the next general elections.