HYDERABAD, Oct 30: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has expressed reservations over admission policy of medical universities of the province, which are under governor’s control, and said the policy should be formulated by the government.

“I have reservations over it (the policy) because it is an outdated policy introduced by the previous regime...I’ll hold a meeting with the governor, health minister, health secretary and the universities’ vice-chancellors to look into the policy, which should be formulated by the government,” he said.

He said in answer to questions by journalists in Jamshoro after addressing a public gathering on Wednesday evening that the present economic crisis had forced the federal government to postpone announcement of a new National Finance Commission (NFC) award for a certain period but added at the same time that the government was committed to announce the award by the end of December.

He avoided giving direct reply to a question whether Sindh had objections over nomination of Hina Rabbani Khar as special assistant to the prime minister on the NFC.

He said that he had spoken to his counterparts in Balochistan and the NWFP and discussed NFC issue with Shahbaz Sharif as well. “I hope our point of view will have their support,” he said.

About the recent incident of Tasleem Solangi who was reportedly thrown in front of dogs before being shot dead, the chief minister said that it took place before PPP came into power. MNA Nafisa Shah, who had launched a crusade against such heinous crimes, had sent an interim report to the president and he would soon act on it, he said.

He said that an FIR had been lodged by the paternal uncle of the deceased and an honest police officer had been entrusted the investigation of the case.

Mr Shah did not reply when asked why work on the Right Bank Outfall Drain-III in Shahdadkot-Qambar district was going on despite MNA Faryal Talpur’s call for stopping it.

Earlier, addressing a public meeting, he put blame of economic crunch on ineptness of the previous government and said that the government would make itself accountable for each day of its governance.

He pledged to provide jobs to the jobless youth. “Economy is not stable and everyone is talking about the country going default but the president had declared that it won’t happen,” he remarked.

The chief minister said that the government wanted to end tribal killings in Sindh and the president also wanted to ensure 50 per cent jobs for women under the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Youth Development Programme.

He said that Romania had offered Pakistan to send skilled labour to the country. “Such offers are coming from other countries as well,” he said.

Mr Shah asserted that the government intended to improve health and education infrastructure. “Hospitals are in such a bad shape that even a healthy man will fall ill if goes there,” he said.

He said that the government would give double salary to the doctors posted in areas like Tharparkar. The president had ordered regularisation of 9,000 labourers in PIA and workers in Pakistan Steel Mills would be confirmed as well, he said.

He said that each woman farmer would be given 16 acres of land with cost of inputs and tractors but they would not be able to sell it. Under the Benazir Income Support Group, poor families would be given Rs1,000 a month and according to an estimate 3.5 million families would get this grant, he said.

Among others Sindh Minority Affairs Minister Dr Mohan Lal Kohistani, MNA Lal Chand, MPA Dr Sikandar Shoro also spoke at the public meet.