CHARSADDA, July 26: Federal Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Dr Khalid Ranja has said that the proposed constitutional amendments are not intended to give more powers to the President but they are in fact inevitable for transfer of power to elected representatives.

Addressing the lawyers at the district Bar here on Friday the minister said minimum amendments would be made to the constitution and they would be within the parameters given by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

Elaborating the role and functions of the proposed National Security Council (NSC), the minister said that the role of the body must be non-intrusive so as not to impinge the powers of the legislative body.

He, however, said that the concept of the NSC was neither new nor undemocratic as the NSC even existed in the USA. The minister asked the lawyers community to make the Bar an institution in the true sense because the importance of Bar could not be ruled out in society.

He said that the government was receptively and keenly listening to the constructive criticism on the proposed amendments from the different district Bars of the country. The minister said the government would spend $350 million for improvement of Bars and judicial system in the country.

He also announced a donation of Rs200,000 for the purchase of books for the library of the district bar.

Earlier in his welcome address, Abdul Fatah Jan advocate said that lawyers were fully supporting the recent power devolution plan of the government and introduction of the policy of checks and balance between the powers of the president and the prime minister.

He said while most of the proposed amendments were right, the lawyers had some reservations about a few amendments.

He said the NSC was an unelected body and, therefore, it must not be put above an elected body.

He said that even if the formation of the NSC was necessary for bringing the check and balance in the system then it must not be a permanent body.