ISLAMABAD, Sept 23: Federal Minister for Law, Justice and Human Rights Wasi Zafar on Monday categorically denied reports suggesting that the government was introducing a law to fix the tenure of the Chief Justice of Pakistan for three years.

"There is no such proposal or suggestion at any level, including the President's Secretariat, Prime Minister's Secretariat or the Law Ministry," the minister said in an official announcement.

During the recent opening ceremony of the Supreme Court's judicial year, Vice-Chairman of the Pakistan Bar Council Rasheed A. Razvi had invited the chief justice's attention the reported government move to fix the tenure.

He said that the government believed in the independence of judiciary and the supremacy of the Constitution, adding that the government would take no step to extend or limit the chief justice's tenure.

The government, he said, would never make any move which was likely to curtail the judiciary's independence or narrow down the doors of justice, adding that it was the aim of the government to provide expeditious justice to ameliorate the sufferings of the litigants.

Meanwhile, the law minister called on the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Nazim Hussain Siddiqui, to assure him about government's intention of providing speedy justice to the public.

The chief justice assured the minister of his full cooperation and guidance for ensuring efficient and result- oriented performance. During the meeting, different important legal and constitutional matters like amendments in procedural laws, mediation in cases by arbitration and devolution of power to lower courts were discussed.

Both were of the view that administrative reforms should be introduced in all public service departments, specifically police. The law minister also met with the Chief Election Commissioner Irshad Hasan Khan to discuss the progress made in setting up of the Federal Election Commission Academy in Islamabad.