SUKKUR, May 20: Sindh Chief Minister Ali Mohammad Mahar has said that his government has created 33,000 jobs for which the selection criteria will be merit. He was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of a faculty block at the IBA, Sukkur, on Thursday.

The chief minister denied differences with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement over the issue of jobs as he said that recruitments would be made on merit basis and no recommendations would be accepted in this regard.

He said that the Sindh government had taken measures to improve the education standard in the province. He expressed his happiness that girls from Ghotki, Hayat Pitafi and Mirpur Mathelo were studying at the IBA, Sukkur, terming it a revolutionary change in customs of Sindh interior.

Providing education to girls was the government's priority, he added. He said that the government had established institutes in the region, including the Cadet College in Sangi, Ghotki, and the Cadet College for Girls in Sanghar, which were providing quality education.

The chief minister said that the government alone could not provide jobs to all people and urged the private sector to come forward and establish industries to increase job opportunities for people.

He claimed that due to improvement in law and order in Noori Abad, the number of industrial units had increased from five to 36. He also announced a grant of Rs50 million for the Sukkur IBA. Sukkur IBA director Nisar Ahmad Siddiqui had welcomed the chief minister.