SHAH ALAM, July 21 — PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali said that he was overseas during his party’s three-day retreat in Port Dickson.

When queried by press members at a solidarity event organised for him at the Selangor mentri besar’s official residence here, the Economic Affairs Minister merely said he was away on official business trip and only returned today, stopping short of revealing his exact whereabouts.

"I was away overseas for an official visit, I just came back this afternoon.

"Overseas,” Azmin replied when pressed about the exact location.

Earlier today, PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim considered the party’s three-day retreat here a success notwithstanding the notable absence of his deputy and several other senior leaders.

Anwar also acknowledged the internal differences in his party, but said the 120 leaders from various levels had convened to discuss how to overcome these and to close ranks.

He, however, also dodged questions about his relationship with Azmin, which deteriorated last week after the former suggested that his deputy should resign as the Economic Affairs Minister if a sex video allegedly implicating the latter is proven to be genuine.

This caused the undercurrent of factionalism in PKR to bubble up and surface, manifesting in 23 members of the party’s central committee issuing a rare public rebuke of their president.

Today, Anwar also insisted he would have no issue working with Azmin.

The three-day PKR leaders retreat began on Friday and ended today.