Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat is not seriously ill in hospital as rumoured, but is suffering from pain in the hip, according to his second son Nik Omar.

Nik Omar said his father has been in pain since his return from pilgrimage. The PAS spiritual leader had accompanied Sultan Muhammad V of Kelantan on the haj recently.

"My father is healthy. He complained of hip pain since his return from the Holy Land," he told reporters at the residence of the menteri besar in Pulau Melaka, Kota Bharu.

Nik Aziz did not meet reporters because he was being given a massage then.

At about noon, the menteri besar was taken to the Perdana Specialist Hospital, and as he was being driven away he gave the thumbs-up to media photographers to indicate he was fine.

Since yesterday, several blogs had reported that Nik Aziz was critically ill and had been admitted to a hospital in Kota Bharu, following his absence at several official functions.

Last night, Nik Aziz was represented at a function to declare the Ketereh district council an Islamic municipal council.

Nik Omar said his father's health condition had in no way obstructed his running of the state government.

"Even when he is on leave, my father goes to the office to attend to his work," he said.

Nik Aziz, 79, has been the menteri besar of Kelantan since 1990. He once received treatment for a heart ailment at the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur several years ago.

- Bernama