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Glite Dictionary
East Pakistan

East Pakistan

7.2
The eastern part of Pakistan before 1971 that is now Bangladesh
  • proper noun
translation icon : Pakistán Oriental
  • The history of East Pakistan is complex and significant.

Examples

  • The people of East Pakistan fought for their independence in 1971, leading to the creation of Bangladesh.

  • My grandfather was born in East Pakistan before it became Bangladesh.

  • Many families migrated from East Pakistan to other regions during the Partition.

  • The events of 1971 led to the independence of East Pakistan.

  • In 1971, East Pakistan became the independent country of Bangladesh.

  • After the terrible cyclone in 1970, East Pakistan received international aid to help its devastated communities.

  • Many families migrated from East Pakistan to India during the turbulent years leading up to its independence.

Surface Forms

East Pakistan main

Morphology

East + Pakistan

The meaning is directly compositional: 'East' (the eastern part/region) combined with 'Pakistan' denotes the eastern region of Pakistan. This geographic naming pattern is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning (the former eastern province, later Bangladesh).

Etymology

East Pakistan was the name for the eastern half of Pakistan, a part that was far away from the western half after 1947. In 1971 that eastern region became the 'independent country' Bangladesh, so today East Pakistan refers to that former region.