ISLAMABAD The government is yet to decide the successor of Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, who is set to retire in March this year.

Law Minister Farooq H. Naek, however, has said that Justice Sardar Mohammad Raza Khan should head the Supreme Court next since he is the senior most judge .

Justice Raza is the senior most judge and should be the next chief justice, the law minister told reporters after attending a meeting of the four provincial law minister here on Friday.

Balochistan Law Minister Robina Irfan, NWFP Law Minister Arshad Abdullah, Sindh Law Minister Ayaz Soomro, Secretary Law Agha Rafiq and Punjab law secretary attended the conference.

Justice Raza was one of the four judges who had taken a fresh oath on September 20, 2008, in the second phase of reappointment of judges. He is now the senior most judge of the apex court and will retire on February 9, 2010.

Justice Raza was also among the judges who had been sent home by former president Pervez Musharraf while proclaiming a state of emergency rule on November 3, 2007.

Announcing the decisions taken during the meeting, the minister said the government has decided to enhance the salaries of the judges substantially and bring reforms in the judicial system.

The federal government has requested the provincial governments to make a substantial increase in the salaries of the judges of the lower courts as well to give judges of the subordinate judiciary a strong financial standing, he said.

The salaries of the superior court judges will be met through the Access to Justice Programme (AJP) while the provincial government would also allocate special allowances to reduce the financial worries of the law professionals.

On the government`s decision to commute death sentences into jail terms, Farooq H Naek said his ministry had sent a summary with its proposals to the interior minister, but at the same time also made it clear that abolishing the death penalty had nothing to do with the Hudood law and, therefore, only those punishments would be commuted into life sentences which did not fall under the Qisas (blood money) category.

In addition to this, fast tract courts and evening courts would be established in all provincial capitals for speedy disposal of cases.

The government believes that with the creation of fast track courts and the evening courts would also create job opportunities.

The provincial law ministers of Sindh, Balochistan and NWFP and law secretary of the Punjab also agreed to set up a public defender and legal aid offices to provide legal help to the poor.

The fast track courts, evening courts and public defender offices will be established on a trial basis for one year and then after making necessary adjustments in light of their performance they would be handed over to provincial governments.

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

The minister rejected outright the speculations that the secretary law was being tipped to become chief justice of the Sindh High Court and assured that no law against the holy Quran and Sunnah would be introduced by the democratic government.

Meanwhile, the NWFP law minister said the assistance of the federal government had been sought to remove certain constitutional ambiguities for the enforcement of Shariah law in the Malakand Division. After the removal of these complications the law would be enforced in the area, he said.