SLA marks April 24 when Sindhi was declared official language in 1848

HYDERABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Apr, 2026) The Sindhi Language Authority (SLA) organized an online debate here Friday evening in connection with the April 24 day to mark the declaration of Sindhi as an official language by the colonial  British government in 1848.Speaking on the occasion, the SLA's Chairman Dr Sher Mehrani said on April 24, 1848, the colonial rulers had issued an official order declaring Sindhi as an official language.He recalled that by March 24, 1873, the British had occupied India in its entirety while the province remained a separate state till 1847.Talking about the differences about Sindhi script which had prevailed among the British officers, Mehrani said Lt Richard Burton supported writing of Sindhi in Arabian-Persian script while there were other voices laying their weight behind Devnagri script.

"By 1852 it was decided that the language would be written in Arabian-Persian script," he added.According to him, before the official selection Sindhi was being written in 12 different scripts by the year 1870 Hindus living in Sindh used to write Sindhi in Devnagri script in the schools."Sindhi is a very old language spoken for thousands of years and written in 40 distinct scripts," he said.