THIS refers to a report, ‘Not just another holy place’ by Peerzada Salman (Jan 20). This is about a Sikh Gurdwara on Frere Road, Karachi. The writer points out that the name of the building written on its inscription is, this is the “Sri Nanak Sahib Darbar”, which was completed in 1935.

It was reported that this inscription is written both in English and Urdu, which is partially correct. In fact, it is written clearly in English and Sindhi.

Urdu is written in the Persian script whereas Sindhi is written in the Arabic. The dots on the script indicate the authenticity of the language. Moreover, up to 1947, let alone 1935, the lingua franca as well as the official language of Sindh, including its capital, Karachi, was Sindhi.

Thus, besides English, the names of pre-partition-day buildings in Karachi are written in Sindhi. Such errors should be avoided.

DR. MEHTAB ALI SHAH
Jamshoro