'The FCR was a draconian law under which there was no provision of appeal, wakeel or daleel (lawyer or reasoning) against the orders of the executive,' the spokesman said.

Under the FCR, Babar said, the tribals were subject to the whims of officials as people were arrested and kept in jail for years without trial and the jail term could be extended indefinitely.

The administration will have no arbitrary power of arrest as checks have been placed on them. The accused shall be brought before the authority concerned within 24 hours of arrest. They will have the right to bail, the spokesperson said.

Zardari expressed satisfaction over the return of millions of people who had fled their homes in Swat and Malakand during the month-long military offensive against the Taliban in the region.

'But a bigger challenge awaits us. In the long run we must defeat the militant mindset to defend our country, our democracy, our institutions and our way of life,' he said.

'It is a mindset that poses the greatest threat to the security and stability of the country that was founded on this day... Let us therefore resolve to defeat this pernicious mindset that has promoted suicide bombings, beheading innocent people, torturing women and forcibly closing academies of learning,' Zardari added.