LAHORE: The Punjab government has expedited the distribution of financial grants to the bar associations as Minister for Law Sohaib Ahmad Bharth distributed cheques among the district and tehsil bar officials from Bahawalpur district on Monday.

A handout says cheques amounting Rs20 million were handed over to office-bearers of the bar associations of Bahawalpur, Yazman, Ahmad Pur Tammaiwali,Hasilpur and Ahmadpur Shargia, at a ceremony held in the Darbar Hall of the Punjab Civil Se cretariat here.

On the occasion, the elected representatives of the lawyers` bodies also highlighted the issues being faced by the legal fraternity in Bahawalpur district.

The provincial minister said it was for the first time that the Punjab government was giving special grants to the bar associations at tehsil level.

He said the grants would help provide facilities to the lawyers` com-munity in Bahawalpur, including e-library, canteen, renovation of the barrooms etc.

The presidents of the district and tehsil bar associations thanked the Punjab government for the special grants, saying earlier such financial allocations were made only for some select bar associations.

The current move of the Punjab government is being seen as an attempt to woo the legal fraternity, in the backdrop of the federal government`s `confrontation` with the Supreme Court.