What Does Pakistan Zindabad Mean?

Pakistan Zindabad (پاکستان زندہ باد) means "Long live Pakistan". It is Pakistan's national slogan, shouted at rallies and cricket matches, printed on flags and banners, and said with a raised fist every 14 August. The phrase is Urdu, but both of its parts have Persian roots, and the same construction is used across South Asia to cheer for countries, leaders and causes. Here is what the words mean, where the slogan comes from and when people say it.

The two words

Pakistan was coined in 1933 by Choudhry Rahmat Ali, then a law student at Cambridge, as an acronym for the Muslim-majority regions of north-west British India: Punjab, Afghania, Kashmir, Sindh and Baluchistan. In Urdu and Persian it also reads as "land of the pure", from pak (pure) and -stan (land).

Zindabad (زندہ باد) is two Persian words run together: zinda, "alive" or "living", and bad, an old form of the verb "to be" that expresses a wish, "may it be". Literally "may it be alive"; in practice, "long live". Urdu took it from Persian along with much of its formal vocabulary, and it is used the same way in Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali and Pashto.

So Pakistan Zindabad is "Long live Pakistan" or "May Pakistan live forever". You will sometimes see it translated as "Victory to Pakistan"; that captures the mood but not the words.

Where the slogan comes from

The phrase belongs to the Pakistan Movement of the 1940s. After the All-India Muslim League passed the Lahore Resolution on 23 March 1940, calling for independent states for Muslims in the north-west and east of India, "Pakistan Zindabad" became the chant of its rallies and processions. It follows the same pattern as "Inquilab Zindabad", "long live the revolution", the slogan of the wider independence movement. When Pakistan came into being at midnight on 14 August 1947 it was the phrase in the streets, and it has stayed the shortest way to say "I stand with Pakistan" ever since.

When people say it

• Independence Day, 14 August: on flags, car stickers and face paint, and at the end of every speech.
• Pakistan Day, 23 March: the anniversary of the Lahore Resolution, marked with a parade in Islamabad.
• Defence Day, 6 September.
• Cricket: the stadium chant whenever Pakistan play.
• Rallies and protests, where it is usually the closing line.
• Everyday pride: the sign-off of a message, a caption or a toast, at home and across the diaspora.

How to write and say it

In Urdu it is written right to left: پاکستان زندہ باد. Zindabad is sometimes written as one word (زندہباد) and sometimes as two (زندہ باد); both are accepted. It is pronounced pa-kis-TAAN zin-da-BAAD, with the stress on the long final syllables. Urdu is usually set in Nastaliq, the calligraphic style in which the letters hang diagonally from right to left, which is why the phrase looks so different from the same letters in an Arabic typeface.

Related slogans

• Murdabad (مردہ باد) is the opposite: murda, "dead", plus bad, so "down with". "X zindabad, Y murdabad" is the classic rally pairing.
• Jeevay Pakistan is the Punjabi version, "may Pakistan live", best known from the patriotic song "Jeevay Jeevay Pakistan".
• Pakistan Paindabad (پائندہ باد), "may Pakistan endure", is the more formal companion often printed alongside Zindabad.
• Quaid-e-Azam Zindabad, "long live the Great Leader", was the cheer for Muhammad Ali Jinnah and is still heard on his birthday, 25 December.
• Hindustan Zindabad and Bangladesh Zindabad use the same word for the neighbors.

The embroidered design

Our embroidered Pakistan Zindabad hoodie stitches the slogan in Urdu Nastaliq above a map of Pakistan on a 100% cotton hoodie, with the same embroidery on a sweater, T-shirt and long sleeve, and the design printed on a sticker and tote bag. The Pakistan Zindabad collection has all of them, and the Pakistan collective adds the vintage Pakistan postcard designs. Everything is made to order, so for 14 August, order in July.

Frequently asked questions

What does zindabad mean?

"Long live": from Persian zinda, "alive", and bad, "may it be". It is used in Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali and Pashto.

How do you write Pakistan Zindabad in Urdu?

پاکستان زندہ باد, read right to left. Zindabad may be written as one word or two.

When do people say Pakistan Zindabad?

On Independence Day (14 August), Pakistan Day (23 March) and Defence Day (6 September), at cricket matches and rallies, and whenever someone wants to say they stand with Pakistan.

What is the opposite of zindabad?

Murdabad, "down with", from murda, "dead".

Who first said Pakistan Zindabad?

No single person. It emerged as the chant of the All-India Muslim League's rallies after the Lahore Resolution of March 1940 and was everywhere by independence in August 1947.