HYDERABAD: Literati, scholars, linguists and a large number of students attended a ceremony at the Sindhi Language Authority (SLA) on Tuesday to welcome its new Chairman Prof Dr Sher Mehrani and bid farewell to his predecessor Prof Dr Ishaq Samejo.

Speaking to the audience, Prof Mehrani expressed his pleasure over being entrusted with the new responsibility and thanked all those concerned who welcomed him. He said that to him, it was an opportunity to serve the Sindhi language through this esteemed institution. “It’s an honour for me,” he added.

He observed that at this point of time, there is a flood of technology, a change, and innovation that have come over the last five centuries and, perhaps, might not be coming in the next five centuries.

“In this era of Artificial Intelligence, we have to play our due role in developing the Sindhi language,” he said, adding that he would try his best to carry forward the good and positive traditions together with his contemporaries.

Scholars, literati warmly welcome Dr Sher Mehrani, acknowledge great services rendered by his predecessor Dr Ishaq Samejo

Outgoing SLA chairman Dr Ishaq Samejo said he was very proud of this institution. “First of all, workers of this institution deserve all praise for building it by working with the head of each era,” he said.

He remarked that the chairman and secretary come only as guests, but the permanent residents of SLA are the workers.

He said: “Dr Sher Mehrani is a dynamic person of the new age … at this time, only a person of the new age can run the institution better with planning and policies according to the modern age”.

According to Dr Samejo, during his tenure, he has established new traditions that have brought the institution out of the boundaries and connected it with society.

He recalled that recently children celebrated Shah Latif Festivals and an awareness campaign titled ‘Sindhi language, national language’ was run.

Besides, the Sindhi learning centres have been opened. These traditions have increased the importance of SLA in society, he said.

“This way, we have to change the traditional policies and attitudes, and work to save and develop the language,” he stressed.

He said that dictionaries cannot save the language, it is the child who will saves the language.

A complaint centre against those private schools which did not teach Sindhi was set up while Sindhi learning centres for teachers were opened in Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur where hundreds of teachers learnt the language.

These learning centres need to be established at the district level, he said.

A former SLA chairman Dr Mohammad Ali Manjhi said: “The SLA is an important institution in relation to language. Great scholars and intellectuals have been heading it.

He said Dr Ishaq Samejo completed his journey successfully by working in the best way and now Dr Sher Mehrani’s is starting his journey today. His scientific and research work is outstanding. We hope that he will maintain his continuity for the development, growth and implementation of Sindhi language in this institution as well.

Director of the Institute of Sindhology Dr Fayyaz Latif and renowned literary figures Niaz Pahor, Dr Makhmour Bukhari, Taj Joyo, Dr Ehsan Danish, Noor Ahmed Janjahi, Ali Dost Azim, Wahid Kandhari, Anwar Mansoor, Abid Anwar, Zia Abro, Dr Phulu Mal Meghwar, Benazir Junejo, Sattar Sarohi and others warmly welcomed Dr Mehrani to the SLA.

Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2026