ISLAMABAD, Jan 2: Law Minister Farooq H. Naek said here on Friday that although the government was yet to decide who would succeed Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar as chief justice of the Supreme Court after his retirement in March, he was of the opinion that Justice Sardar Mohammad Raza Khan should head the court being the senior-most judge.

“Justice Raza is the senior-most judge and should be the next chief justice,” the minister told reporters after attending a meeting with the law ministers of Sindh, the NWFP and Balochistan and the law secretary of Punjab.

Justice Raza is one of the judges who have taken fresh oath to join the Supreme Court with their seniority intact.

He was sent home by former president Pervez Musharraf when he proclaimed emergency on Nov 3, 2007. He is due to retire on Feb 9 next year.

Mr Naek said the government had decided to substantially increase the salary of judges.

“The centre has requested the provincial governments to make a substantial increase in the salaries of judges of lower courts,” he said.

The salaries of the superior court judges will be met through the Access to Justice Programme.

He said the law ministry had sent a summary to the interior ministry with a proposal for commuting death sentence into jail term. He said the sentences would be commuted only in cases which did not fall under the Qisas law.

He said fast-track and evening courts would be set up in the provincial capitals for speedy disposal of cases which had been pending for a long time. The move would also create job opportunities, he said.

The law ministers of Sindh, Balochistan and the NWFP and law secretary of Punjab also agreed to set up offices of public defenders and legal aid for poor people.

The new courts and offices will be set up on a trial basis for one year and would then be handed over to the provinces after evaluating their effectiveness and making necessary improvements.

The provincial governments have also been urged to amend jail manuals so that inmates are not put into death cells before the issuance of black warrants.

The minister dispelled speculations that Law Secretary Agha Rafiq was being tipped to become the chief justice of the Sindh High Court.

He also said no law against the teachings of Holy Quran and Sunnah would be introduced.

NWFP Law Minister Arshad Abdullah said he had sought federal government’s help to address certain constitutional ambiguities before enforcing Sharia laws in Malakand region.