On his first day in the role today, Khalid said the matter was also clarified by PKR secretary-general Fuziah Salleh in a media statement yesterday.

“In my 38 years in the police force, I have never been involved in any political party,” he said, adding that the media organisation which made the mistake in an infographic had requested a meeting with him.

“I hope the close and cordial relationship between the police and journalists will continue, as it is key to ensuring quality reporting not just for the police force, but for all government agencies,” he told reporters after attending the home ministry’s monthly assembly.

The Sinar Harian newspaper yesterday apologised for the blunder in a social media graphic that falsely described Khalid as a member of PKR.

The error was reportedly due to the use of an outdated design template which was previously used in a poster featuring Dewan Rakyat speaker Johari Abdul, a PKR member and former Kedah PKR chief.

The newspaper said a staff member and the supervisor of the social media team who approved the graphic would be suspended from duty, and that an internal investigation would be carried out to determine whether there were elements of sabotage involved.

Fuziah clarified yesterday that Khalid had never been a PKR member, much less held any party leadership role.

Separately, home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the ministry would summon a representative from the newspaper for an explanation.

He said the session would be used to emphasise the potential impact of such errors on public trust and institutional credibility.

During his speech earlier, he also said that he had never met Khalid throughout his time in PKR.