In a message dated 11/25/2001 12:20:58 AM Central Standard Time, lojbab@lojban.org writes:
Etymologically Pakistan and Pashto come from the same word, by my My memory -- not, need I remind you, a reliable source of information -- is that "Pakistan" means "land of the pure" in Urdu (or so) and is also an acronym of the provinces of the Raj that were intended to be included in it (Kashmir not yet making it, northern Bengal coming in as a surprise and then leaving -- I'm not sure about the identity and fate of the others). "Pushtu" is a Persian (of one sort or another) word that almost certainly doesn't mean "pure," and probably just means the people of that name (if not worse). |