Pakistan

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈpækɪsËŒtæn/

Origin

From Urdu and Persian پاکستان ("Land of the Pure"), from پاک (pak, "pure, holy, immaculate, chaste, undefiled") and Persian ستان (stān, "-stan"). The word was coined by Choudhary Rahmat Ali, who published it in the pamphlet Now or Never issued on January 28, 1933 as an acronym of the names of the "Muslim homelands" of western India — Punjab, Afghania, Kashmir, Sindh, and Balochistan. An i was later added to the English rendition of the name to ease pronunciation.

Full definition of Pakistan

Proper noun

1. Country in South Asia. Official name: Islamic Republic of Pakistan.