KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 — The National Registration Department (NRD) denies bussing 240 foreigners to Putrajaya on Wednesday to collect identification cards.

PAS had alleged that six buses filled with Indonesians and Bangladeshis had travelled from Johor to be given citizenships so they could vote for Barisan Nasional (BN).

But NRD director general Datin Jariah Mohd Said was quoted in Sinar Harian today as saying "we are not aware of this and I myself only found out through the media."

"None of my officers were there. All registration matters must be done at NRD offices or counters," she said.

She also denied that the NRD was involved in any syndicate to hand out ICs to foreigners.

PAS Youth had said that it followed the entourage of buses across Putrajaya until they stopped at a nearby resort in Sepang.

Its deputy democracy bureau chief Mohd Adram Musa said a man leading the group told him that they were there for a course on entrepreneurship.

But Adram claimed that others in the bus said they were there to collect ICs and that there were police, health ministry and other government officers that were part of the entourage.

Pakatan Rakyat has previously claimed that the BN government has given citizenships to at least 1,600 foreigners in exchange for their votes.

The government has since formed a bipartisan parliamentary select committee to look into electoral improvements including cleaning up the electoral roll.