On January 13, 2025, Professor Dr. Madad Ali Shah, Vice Chancellor of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University (SBBU), Shaheed Benazirabad, visited the Abdul Majid Bhurgri Institute of Language Engineering (AMBILE) in Hyderabad. The visit commenced with a warm welcome by the Director of the Institute, Mr. Amar Fayaz Buriro.
Dr. Shah toured the Institute facilities, meeting with Sindhi language data analysts and discussing their roles and project objectives. Mr. Rabail Aziz Solangi and Ms. Manzar Aziz, analysts working on the Sindhi WordNet Project, provided an in-depth briefing on this groundbreaking initiative. The project aims to pioneer the integration of the Sindhi language into artificial intelligence (AI) platforms, ensuring its proper usage in digital environments. They emphasized the cultural and historical importance of Sindhi as one of the oldest languages, representing human civilization rich heritage.
Dr. Shah praised the Sindhi WordNet Project and reiterated a prior decision to involve final-year students from the Computer Science, IT, and Sindhi departments of SBBU in collaborative projects with AMBILE. This partnership aims to nurture student innovation while benefiting the nation through research and practical applications. He announced that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between SBBU and AMBILE would soon be formalized to support these efforts.
Highlighting the Institute achievements, Mr. Amar Fayaz Buriro detailed initiatives such as offline Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for Sindhi, Bhittaipedia, the development of an Indus Valley Civilization font, and other transliteration tools. He acknowledged the initiative and critical support from the Government of Sindh’s Policy maker Syed Sardar Ali Shah, the former Minister of Culture, and key responsible officers like Mr. Khair Muhammad Kalwar, Secretary Culture, Mr. Roshan Ali Kanasro Resident Director PDM&I Cell of Culture Department, who were instrumental in the Institute establishment.
Dr. Shah expressed admiration for AMBILE state-of-the-art facilities and affirmed plans to establish a Center of Excellence for Engineering focused on Sindhi and other native languages at SBBU. He emphasized that such efforts are vital for integrating local languages into cutting-edge technological frameworks.
In recognition of Abdul Majid Bhurgri monumental contributions to digitizing the Sindhi language, Dr. Shah announced that SBBU would honor him with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
The visit concluded with a vote of thanks from Mr. Buriro, reinforcing the commitment of SBBU and AMBILE to collaborate on fostering technological advancements for Sindhi language development and AI integration. This partnership promises to propel Sindhi into a new era of digital innovation.
