Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) adviser Anwar Ibrahim will not attend the World Peace Forum in Jakarta where former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad is scheduled to deliver a keynote address tomorrow.

However, Anwar's special assistant Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad denied that the former deputy premier decided to steer clear of the forum because of Mahathir.

According to him, the former deputy premier, who was sacked by Mahathir in 1998 and subsequently jailed, will be travelling to Hong Kong on a private trip.

"The private trip to Hong Kong was arranged a month ago," he said, adding that PKR had received the invitation to the forum "rather late".

Nik Nazmi said the invitation was declined three weeks ago.

Roadshow to continue

Anwar is expected to return from Hong Kong on Wednesday and will continue his roadshow to Perlis, Kedah, Penang and Perak.

The former deputy premier has not met his ex-boss since his sacking, which led to the birth of the reformasi movement and eventually the opposition PKR headed by his wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

Anwar has repeatedly claimed to be a victim of political conspiracy and that the charges of corruption and sodomy against him were trumped up, but Mahathir has denied this.

The two are also locked in a RM100 million legal battle after Mahathir called Anwar a 'homosexual' at the sidelines of a recent function in Kuala Lumpur.

Meanwhile, Mahathir is expected to join 50 other religious leaders and political figures from 28 countries to discuss 'global injustices' at the forum.

According to Bernama, the joint organisers of the three-day forum, which begins today, are Muhammadiyah, the second largest Muslim organisation in Indonesia and the Jakarta-based Multi Culture Society.

The forum is expected to be officiated by Indonesian vice-president Jusuf Kalla.