Everyone says ‘Pakistan’ — but the country’s full constitutional name is the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. This guide explains what each word means, the name in Urdu, and the famous story of how ‘Pakistan’ was coined.
Quick answer: Pakistan’s full name is the Islamic Republic of Pakistan — in Urdu, Islami Jamhuria-e-Pakistan (اسلامی جمہوریہ پاکستان). ‘Pakistan’ means ‘land of the pure’; the ‘Islamic Republic’ prefix was adopted in the 1956 Constitution.
In this guide
The Full Name
The Constitution styles the country the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The ‘Islamic Republic’ element was introduced in the 1956 Constitution — Pakistan’s first — and retained in 1962 (briefly dropped, then restored) and 1973. It signals the state’s Islamic identity alongside its republican (non-monarchical) character. In formal diplomacy — UN, treaties — the full name is used; in everyday speech, just Pakistan.
What ‘Pakistan’ Means
‘Pak’ (پاک) means pure or clean in Persian/Urdu; ‘-stan’ (ستان) means land or place. So Pakistan = ‘land of the pure’. The name was coined in 1933 by Cambridge student Choudhry Rahmat Ali in his pamphlet ‘Now or Never’ — originally ‘PAKSTAN’, an acronym of Punjab, Afghania (NWFP), Kashmir, Sindh and BaluchisTAN. Jinnah’s Muslim League adopted it, and it stuck.
The Urdu Name
In Urdu: اسلامی جمہوریہ پاکستان (Islami Jamhuria-e-Pakistan). The national anthem (Qaumi Tarana) is in Persianised Urdu; the motto on the state emblem reads ‘Faith, Unity, Discipline’ (ایمان، اتحاد، نظم). Related naming story: who named Pakistan — wait, that’s a pillar-10 page; link the GG pillar instead: governor-general of Pakistan.
The Name in the Constitution
Article 1 of the 1973 Constitution opens: ‘Pakistan shall be a Federal Republic to be known as the Islamic Republic of Pakistan’ — the name is constitutional bedrock, not convention. The 1956 Constitution first introduced ‘Islamic Republic’; the 1962 Constitution briefly styled it just ‘Republic of Pakistan’ before the first amendment restored ‘Islamic’. Since 1973 it has been unchallenged. The constitution’s text: constitution of Pakistan.
The Name in the Constitution
Article 1 of the 1973 Constitution opens: ‘Pakistan shall be a Federal Republic to be known as the Islamic Republic of Pakistan’ — the name is constitutional bedrock, not convention. The 1956 Constitution first introduced ‘Islamic Republic’; the 1962 Constitution briefly styled it just ‘Republic of Pakistan’ before the first amendment restored ‘Islamic’. Since 1973 it has been unchallenged. The constitution’s text: constitution of Pakistan.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the full form of Pakistan?
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan (Islami Jamhuria-e-Pakistan). ‘Pakistan’ itself means ‘land of the pure’.
When was the name adopted?
‘Pakistan’ was coined by Choudhry Rahmat Ali in 1933 and adopted by the Muslim League; ‘Islamic Republic of Pakistan’ became the constitutional name in 1956.
