LAHORE, Jan 4: Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi has said that his government was being assisted by MMA secretary-general Maulana Fazlur Rehman in the recovery of provincial minister Naeemullah Shahani who went missing in the Fata.

He was talking to newsmen after inaugurating the new Punjab Bar Council building along Fane Road here on Saturday.

The chief minister said efforts for Mr Shahani's recovery had been stepped up and the NWFP government had found some clues.

The NWFP government was extending all possible assistance in this regard.

He said all cabinet members had been asked to visit other provinces after providing complete information to the Punjab government. "This will help ensure their protection."

At the inauguration ceremony of the new PBC building, Pervaiz Elahi said he had directed the law department to work out a proposal to appoint women lawyers as judges in the subordinate judiciary.

Similarly, plans were afoot to appoint young lawyers as legal advisers to various government undertakings.

The chief minister said the government was making all out efforts to strengthen democracy on sustainable basis. The efforts had got a big boost after the passage of the 17th Amendment to the constitution.

Pervaiz Elahi said the Punjab stood as a brilliant example of rule of law as the provincial assembly had done a tremendous work in the legislative field. He said the Punjab could boast to be working under normal laws and the involvement of the legislature was made at all levels.

He said no ordinance has been issued in the Punjab since the October 2002 elections because the government believed that the legislative work could go a long way in consolidating democracy.

The chief minister said he had directed all the departments to prepare annual reports of their performance. He said redressing the grievances of litigants in civil courts was an area to which the government was paying attention on priority basis.

He said litigants were facing many problems at the civil courts and his government was committed to resolve them by way of amending different laws pertaining to administration of justice.

He said the government had made it a policy not to interfere in the affairs of the Bar associations. It was his government's major obligation to give respect to all Bar associations.

The government was providing funds to the district Bar associations. A decision had been taken to give Rs300,000 grant-in-aid to tehsil Bar associations.

Pervaiz Elahi said the legal community had always given lead to political parties in the struggle for democracy and rule of law.

The chief minister announced a special grant of Rs6 million for the completion of the new Punjab Bar Council building. The government had already given Rs4 million for the project.

Punjab Bar Council vice-chairperson Arif Chaudhry announced an additional one-month salary for the council employees.