HYDERABAD, May 13: The Secretary of Sindhi Adabi Board Mr Inam Shaikh has refuted reports that there was a crisis at the board, and added that the performance of the board had considerably improved after the merger of 36 board employees in the education department.

In a statement issued here on Thursday, he said that within a matter of few months, the board had not only published 32 books and regularised the publication of magazines but it had also published 50,000 books for Unicef and another international organisation at a cost of Rs1.6 million. He further said that the board was also printing 40,000 textbooks of the Textbook Board.

Not only this, Mr Shaikh said, but the sale of the board's books had also increased eight times. He said considering this performance, the board has approaching Unesco and other international organisations as well as the local councils for the publication of their material.

He claimed that time was not far when the board will earn more money from its publications than what it was receiving from the government. He expressed confidence that due to the constructive policies of the board of governors and the efforts of workers of the board this institution will become self- sufficient in all respects within the next three years.

He said that the hunger strikes being observed by former employees who had been merged in the education department Hyderabad district was engineered by a former official of the board. He asked these employees to resume their duties in the education department as they will get their salaries very soon.