Historical Dictionary of Pakistan

AcknowledgmentsThis is the third edition of the dictionary. In preparing this edition, Ihave added a number of entries on what I call the “Muslimization” and“Islamization” of Pakistani society. It is because of these developmentsthat Pakistan has come to be closely associated in the Western mindwith Islamic extremism and also with the exploits of al Qaeda and otherextremist groups. These developments and perceptions are reflected ina number of entries.This edition was prepared as I entered retirement, having left theWorld Bank a few years ago. Most of the work on it was done at homebut with the help of my assistant Virginia Baker, who worked hard tounderstand not only Pakistani names but also the history of the country.I am greatly indebted to her for her help.I am also indebted to Mehrukh Burki, my niece, who carefully readall the entries and removed ambiguities whenever they occurred. Withouther assistance it would have been difficult to put this work togetherin a relatively short period of time. Ali Burki, my nephew, also researchedsome of the new entries.Finally, I want to thank my wife, Jahanara Burki, for her willingnessto have me disappear into my basement and spend long hours completingthis work.ix