The Pakatan Harapan leadership will never allow Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to become prime minister should they win the 14th General Election as they are just using him to attack UMNO, said UMNO Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

The Rural and Regional Development Minister said Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Lim Kit Siang would not allow it to happen due to Dr Mahathir's 'past sins' against them and their families when he was the prime minister.

"Dr Mahathir had committed major sins towards them. For example with Lim Kit Siang, his son Guan Eng was detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) and with Anwar, he was accused of various moral and financial wrongdoings which has surely put his family members to shame.

"As such, I do not think Anwar, Kit Siang or their families will ever forgive Dr Mahathir," he said in commenting on the possibility of Dr Mahathir becoming an interim prime minister if Pakatan Harapan won the in the general election.

He said this after presenting certificates to 213 recipients at the Kemas SKM-PPT convocation ceremony here on Thursday.

Meanwhile, in KOTA BHARU, UMNO information chief Tan Sri Annuar Musa said the statement by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail that an independent inquiry could be set up to investigate allegations against Dr Mahathir proved that the party has not forgotten the former prime minister's misdeeds against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

He said the statement showed that PKR was cautious towards Dr Mahathir even though on the surface they have accepted and appointed him as chairman of Pakatan Harapan.

"Wan Azizah is actually warning Dr Mahathir not to take it easy with PKR and certainly the warning comes from Anwar," he told reporters at an Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) event here.

Yesterday, Wan Azizah reportedly agreed to demands from reformist activists that a commission be set up to investigate various allegations against Dr Mahathir during his 22-year tenure as prime minister, if Pakatan Harapan were to win in GE14.

Wan Azizah said until the general election result is known, the opposition pact had agreed to retain Dr Mahathir as chairman of the coalition.

-- BERNAMA