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.
The name Pakistan literally means land of the pure in Urdu and Persian. It is a play on the word pÄk meaning pure in Persian and Pashto; the suffix -stÄn is a Persian word meaning place of, cognate with the Sanskrit word sthÄna (Devanagari: à¤¸à¥à¤¥à¤¾à¤¨ [stÌªÊ°aËnÉ]).
a former republic in S Asia consisting of the provinces of West Pakistan and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), 1500 km (900 miles) apart: formed in 1947 from the predominantly Muslim parts of India. Word Origin and History for Pakistan Expand.