HYDERABAD, July 6 Sindh is the only province of Pakistan where more than 2,000 veterinary doctors are jobless while the situation in Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa is otherwise.

However, according to international standards, 1,400 more veterinary doctors are needed in Sindh.

This was stated by president of the Pakistan Veterinary Medical Association of Sindh zone Dr Bukhshal Khan Thalho at a news conference here on Tuesday.

He said there were 3,000 veterinary doctors in Punjab, 633 in Balochistan and 380 in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa and all were working in government veterinary hospitals and dispensaries.

As far as Sindh was concerned, the sanctioned strength of veterinary doctors was 450, but only 314 had been appointed and 2,000 qualified doctors were jobless. However, there were 975 veterinary hospitals, centres and mobile units in Sindh, Mr Thalho said.

According to the international standards, there should be one veterinary doctor for 12,000 to 15,000 animals but unfortunately Pakistan was lagging far behind the countries of Africa and Asia, he said.

He pointed out that one veterinary doctor in Punjab was appointed for 56,000 animals, in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa for 70,000 animals and in Balochistan for 85,000 animals, but in Sindh, one veterinary doctor was looking after 125,000 animals.

He said that according to 2006 animal census, there were 38,569,360 animals in Sindh and as per the international standard, the province further needed 1,400 veterinary doctors.

He lamented that in other provinces, promotions were given to veterinary doctors automatically under the four-tire system and according to seniority in a transparent manner. But in Sindh, no system had been introduced so far.

A veterinary doctor who is appointed in grade 17, retires in the same grade after completing his 30 years of service in Sindh, Mr Thalho said and added that only the blue-eyed boys got promotions.

He said there was no difference between the dictatorial regime of General Pervez Musharraf and the so-called democratic government because it had done nothing during the last two and a half years.

He demanded that 2,000 jobless veterinary doctors should be employed, four tire promotion system should be introduced in the animal husbandry department, OPS system should be abolished and unemployed veterinary graduates should be given Rs10,000 per month as unemployment allowance.

He demanded that foreign scholarships should be given purely on merit, veterinary hospitals should be retrieved from the possession of land mafia, faculty of the animal husbandry of Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam should be upgraded into a university and on the pattern of Punjab, veterinary doctors of Sindh should be given rural, conveyance and medical allowances.

He said that veterinary doctors should also be appointed for the private abattoirs.

He said that the agriculture sector contributed 21.8 per cent to the GDP and provided jobs directly to 44.7 per cent population of the country and the share of livestock in the agriculture sector was 51.8 per cent i.e., 11.3 per cent of the GDP. However, Mr Thalho said the livestock sector was being neglected in the country, particularly in Sindh.

He threatened to launch a protest movement from Aug 1 and to surround the Sindh Assembly if the Sindh government failed to accept their demands in month.