Pakistan is a village located in Purnia district, Bihar, India. It is named after the country of Pakistan in memory of its

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

residents who migrated to erstwhile East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh) after the

Partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...

in August 1947.Pakistan without Muslims, a village in India’s Bihar state
/ref> Although the village's district shared a common land border with what was East Pakistan at the time of Partition, its present-day Purnia district does not border Bangladesh. The village today does not have any Muslims or mosques and is mainly populated by

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

tribals The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to conflic ...

History

Purnia district was part of the Bihar Province of the British Raj before its dissolution in August 1947, when British India was partitioned into the

-majority Dominion of India and the

-majority Dominion of Pakistan. While remaining in India itself, Purnia was in close proximity to the newly-created

exclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...

of East Pakistan, prompting many Muslims to migrate there. Before their departure, the Muslim residents handed over their property and other assets to their Hindu neighbours, who subsequently renamed the village " Pakistan" in their memory. Prior to the Indian States Reorganisation Act of 1956, the district of Purnia shared a land border with East Pakistan, which ceased to exist after Islampur subdivision was transferred to the state of West Bengal.

Geography

The village lies some from Purnia, the district headquarters, and is located in Srinagar Block.This 'Pakistan' has no Muslims
/ref>

Demographics

Following the

in 1947, the village ceased to have any

residents; the inhabitants of the village today are Hindus. Pakistan village's residents largely belong to the

Santal The Santal or Santhal are an Austroasiatic speaking Munda ethnic group in South Asia. Santals are the largest tribe in the Jharkhand and West Bengal state of India in terms of population and are also found in the states of Odisha, Bihar and A ...

tribe, the largest tribal group in India. The village today is poverty-stricken and reportedly lacks basic facilities including roads, schools and hospitals.‘Pakistan’ in Indian state of Bihar
/ref> The literacy rate of the district is 35.51%.

Naming controversy

Relations Relation or relations may refer to: General uses *International relations, the study of interconnection of politics, economics, and law on a global level *Interpersonal relationship, association or acquaintance between two or more people *Public ...

between the states of India and Pakistan have historically been turbulent. The immense violence between Hindus and Muslims that occurred as a consequence of the

left millions dead and sowed the seeds of discontent between both sides. Following the Partition and subsequent independence from the United Kingdom, the two countries have fought several wars, primarily stemming from their territorial dispute over the Himalayan region of

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

, which is claimed in full by both nations. Residents of neighbouring villages refer to the people of Pakistan village as "Pakistanis" and, due to the local stigma associated with this term, refuse to allow women to marry men from this village. There have been requests submitted to rename the village to "Birsa Nagar", although the submissions have not been acted on by the Indian government.

References

{{Reflist

External links

This 'Pakistan' has no Muslims
Villages in Purnia district