PESHAWAR, Dec 31: Federal Minister for Political Affairs Amir Muqam has said that during the last four years the centre has maintained a strong relationship with the federating units.

Addressing the Charsadda District Bar Association on Saturday, the minister said that the parliament had conducted the business in a serious manner and legislated scores of issues, especially annulment of discriminatory laws against women.

He claimed that judiciary enjoyed complete freedom, adding that the decision of the apex court in the Steel Mills case was a proof of it.

Under the Access to Justice Programme, measures were afoot to strengthen the judiciary from the bottom to the top to provide justice to all.

He urged the lawyers’ community to reserve ten per cent quota for provision of free legal assistance to poor clients. He also called for a strong bond between the bar and the bench for early disposal of cases.

The minister claimed that there was no bar on the press and it was openly criticizing government policies. He said that the government was accordingly removing its short comings.

Mr Muqam announced a Rs200,000 grant for the Charsadda District Bar Association.

Later, addressing a public meeting in Shabqadar, the federal minister said that the committee on provincial autonomy was working to hammer out a consensual draft for granting maximum rights to federating units under the Constitution.

President Gen Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz wanted shifting of maximum powers to provinces.

He said that uplift of the less developed areas was put on the priority list and scores of the development projects were currently under progress.

The public meeting was also addressed by Charsadda District Nazim Naseer Mohammad Khan, Tehsil Nazim Ishfaq Khan and Mohammad Ali Haleemzai.—APP