(May 28): PAS leaders have met with Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia on the private member's bill to amend the criminal jurisdiction of the shariah court, said Kota Baru MP Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan.

He said Pandikar was now studying Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang's bill and awaiting Putrajaya's approval to allow it to be included in the Dewan Rakyat's order paper.

"The speaker is examining it and waiting for the government's green light. Marang (Hadi) and Pokok Sena (Datuk Mahfuz Omar) have been summoned by the speaker.

"According to the speaker, the government has yet to give its approval for the bill to be inserted into the order paper.

"We are in the process of discussing it with the government," Takiyuddin told reporters at the Parliament lobby today.

He said PAS hoped the bill would be debated during the final weeks of the Dewan Rakyat's current sitting, which ends on June 18.

"It has yet to be included in the order paper. We hope it will happen in the final weeks," he said. – The Malaysian Insider