PESHAWAR, May 6: Appreciating the one-year long campaign of the legal fraternity for independence of judiciary and rule of law, NWFP Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti on Tuesday said that the struggle would bear fruit very soon.

“The sacrifices rendered by the lawyers for reinstatement of deposed judges will not go in waste as the issue of judges is near to be resolved,” he told a delegation of District Bar Association Mardan here at his office.

The chief minister said that all the coalition partners in the government and civil society were supporting lawyers in the struggle for rule of law and reinstatement of judges, adding that it was an unprecedented movement in the country’s history.

Referring to the government’s efforts for restoring peace in the province, the chief minister said that some vested interests were trying to foil the attempt.

“The fire which had broken out in Waziristan reached the province but we will not allow it to gut our houses,” he added.

In order to cleanse the society of criminals, Hoti said his government was taking administrative measures to improve the security situation across the province.

He appealed the masses to help the government in its efforts to get rid of criminal activities including kidnapping for ransom, extortion, car-lifting and robbery. Hoti paid rich tributes to the members of People’s Lawyers Forum and Malgari Wakeelan for keeping intact their 25-year-old alliance, saying that solution to every issue was hidden in unity.

The chief minister said his government was taking steps in every direction in consultation with all allied parties, adding every problem would be resolved through consensus.

“We have a judicious stance on the development of the province and distribution of funds,” he added.