Genetic makeup of Sindhis on India’s west coast differs from Pakistani Sindhis: Study

Hyderabad, Oct 3 (PTI) The Sindhi population on the west coast of India has a unique genetic makeup distinct from that of Pakistani Sindhis, a study by scientists has revealed.

Kumarasamy Thangaraj of CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, and Dr Lomous Kumar, a postdoctoral researcher at DST-Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow, examined the common ancestry, local assimilation, and past migration history of the Sindhi population.

Their findings were published in the journal Human Genomics on September 30, a press release by CCMB said on Friday.

“We found that the Sindhi population on the west coast of India has a unique genetic makeup, which is different from Pakistani Sindhis. They show genetic affinities toward the Burusho or Hazara-like group from Pakistan, as well as recent genetic assimilation with local populations such as the Konkani," Dr Kumarasamy Thangaraj said.

He further noted that the existence of a unique East Asian genetic component in Sindhis of the west coast of India, compared to Pakistani Sindhis, can be attributed to minor admixtures occurring either directly through Mongolian migrations or via contacts with Burusho and Hazara-like groups in present-day Pakistan.

Burusho and Hazara are population groups with Mongoloid features found in present-day Pakistan.

“Our genetic study also found that the Indian Sindhi group has a small, unique genetic component from East Asia that might have been incorporated much earlier in history, likely reflecting imprints of Iron Age or later migrations, possibly Mongols, in their genomes,” Dr Lomous Kumar said.

“These findings conclusively demonstrate the demographic changes and population shifts in western India associated with multiple migrations. Some of these happened as early as the Iron or Middle Ages and some as recent as post-independence,” Dr Vinay K Nandicoori, Director, CSIR-CCMB, said.

Due to the geographical proximity of the Sindh region in Pakistan to India’s west coast, Sindhis have migrated to western India for centuries, with mass migration occurring during the Partition.

Although Pakistani Sindhis have been extensively studied, very limited genetic information is available about the Sindhis living on the west coast of India, who are socio-culturally distinct along the Konkan coast, the release added. PTI GDK SSK