KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20 — A new party called Parti India Muslim Bersatu Malaysia (PIBM) is seeking to enter mainstream politics, Berita Harian reported today.

According to its information chief Ariff Farhan, the new party is fighting for the rights and interests of the Indian Muslim community here, which it claims is often overlooked.

“Now, the Indian Muslim community does not have a party to carry their voices freely. That is why we need a party which can speak out without taking sides with other political parties,” Ariff was quoted saying.

He added that the party was officially registered with the Registrar of Societies a fortnight ago, with Datuk Jamarulkhan Syed Kader named its president.

The official launch will be in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow.

“We target to have 10,000 members in six months after launching at the national level, and then in seven other states including Penang, Perak, Melaka, Johor and Negri Sembilan,” he was quoted saying, adding that details of the party’s logo would be announced at its launch event later.