Overview

• The CSIR-CCMB study, published September 30 in Human Genomics, is the first high-throughput genomic analysis of Sindhis settled on India’s west coast.
• Researchers report a unique East Asian genetic component in this group that is not seen in Pakistani Sindhis.
• The genomes show affinities to Burusho- and Hazara-like groups in northern Pakistan alongside recent admixture with local Konkani populations.
• Authors say the East Asian signal may reflect minor inputs from Mongolian-related movements or indirect contact via northern Pakistani groups, with timing possibly from the Iron or Middle Ages.
• CCMB leadership interprets the patterns as evidence of multiple migrations and demographic shifts in western India extending into the post-independence period.