PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari said his party welcomed differing opinions from its Perikatan Nasional coalition partners.

“In regards to the criticism by the Bersatu leader, it is no issue because everyone has the right to voice their own opinions,” Fadhli told FMT.

He nonetheless played down Mahathir’s statement, saying it did not come from the Bersatu central leadership.

Mahathir, the Federal Territories Bersatu secretary, had criticised the planned rally, saying it reflected PN’s willingness to compromise its principles for the sake of political gain.

He said the rally reeked of political opportunism when PN leaders had spent years campaigning against corruption and wooing the people’s support based on that struggle.

The rally will be held on the day the Court of Appeal hears Najib’s application for leave to adduce fresh evidence in his appeal to serve the remainder of his jail term under house arrest, which he claims was issued in a supplementary order to the Federal Territories Pardons Board’s Feb 2 announcement.

Previously, Bersatu information chief Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz said party leaders and members were free to join the rally in support of Najib in the spirit of “national reconciliation”.

Najib’s son, Nazifuddin, also said more than 200 busloads of supporters of the former prime minister would attend the rally. He said the gathering would see members of PAS, Umno, and Bersatu coming together to fight for Najib’s freedom.

Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin has been harshly critical of Najib, particularly over the 1MDB scandal, and co-founded the party after he was sacked as Umno deputy president in 2016.