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]).
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.