Rooted in religion and based on a division of labor, the caste system, among other things, dictates the type of occupations a person can pursue and the social interactions that she may have. Castes are an aspect of Hindu religion. Other religions in India do not follow this system.
-istan is a suffix in the Persian language (Farsi), denoting a place. Thus, Pakistan means place of the pure (pak=pure). It does not just refer to geographical areas, as in bimarestan=place of the sick=hospital. The suffix is widespread in Eurasia because of Persian influence (the Mughals of India for example used Farsi).
Many writers translate the word âPakistanâ as âLand of the Pureâ; this is incorrect. The word Pakistan consists of two parts, i.e., Pak and Istan. While Pak is a Persian word, which mans holy/ pure/ clean, the word Istan is from the word isthan, which is a Hindi word meaning a place. For example âJanum Isthanâ means the place of birth. So the word Pakistan means a holy/ pure/ clean place (country) and not the âLand of the Pureâ. The word Pak is an adjective which describes âIstanâ (Isthan), place and not its inhabitants.