# "Punchaid" system in Pakistan? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 6, 2014, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punchaid-system-in-pakistan/694981 "2014-08-06T21:53:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punchaid-system-in-pakistan/694981/1 "2014-08-06T21:53:02Z")
I recently came across a reference to a “punchaid,” which appears to be a sort of traditional village council in Pakistan. Google only turns up a few passing mentions, which make me think that the English spelling “punchaid” of the Urdu (?) word is not the most common one. Where can I learn more about this? Is there an English orthography of this word that is more common and therefore more searchable? ---
**Author:** ![BrightNShiny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@BrightNShiny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightNShiny)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punchaid-system-in-pakistan/694981/2 "2014-08-06T22:08:59Z")
Try “panchayat” or “panchayati” Here’s a link to Wiki’s disambiguation page, which contains several articles: > **[Panchayat (disambiguation)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panchayat_(disambiguation))** > > The Panchayat is a political system, originating from the Indian subcontinent, found mainly in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. > Panchayat may also refer to: ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punchaid-system-in-pakistan/694981/3 "2014-08-06T22:12:54Z")
Thank you, very helpful. ---
**Author:** ![ashtayk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@ashtayk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ashtayk)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2014, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punchaid-system-in-pakistan/694981/4 "2014-08-07T19:13:14Z")
Interestingly, the root of the words "punch (English) " and “panchayat” is the same. “Panch” means five in Sanskrit. A panchayat usually had five members and a punch (as in a drink) had five ingredients. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2014, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punchaid-system-in-pakistan/694981/5 "2014-08-07T21:00:28Z")
The others are correct. When I was a child I used to have some comics on the Panchatantra I rather enjoyed. I can’t figure out how to copy a link from this tablet but if you google panchatantra they are the first return. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punchaid-system-in-pakistan/694981/6 "2014-08-09T02:34:53Z")
I would be surprised to learn that the word is widely used in Pakistan today, because they have tried their best to prescribe Urdu as a national language, and Panchayat is not an Urdu word. What was the reference you came across, OP? ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punchaid-system-in-pakistan/694981/7 "2014-08-09T03:35:11Z")
It was mentioned in the federal honor-killing trial (in US court) of Mohammad Choudhry. The “punchaid” in Pakistan (also later spelled as “panchayat,” but I hadn’t gotten to that part of the transcript when I posted) is repeatedly referred to. Under whatever spelling it is apparently a part of local governance to this day in Pakistan. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punchaid-system-in-pakistan/694981/8 "2014-08-09T04:41:10Z")
No it’s not. It’s an informal gathering of village or townspeople in one part of one province. ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punchaid-system-in-pakistan/694981/9 "2014-08-09T04:45:45Z")
Tomato, tomahto. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punchaid-system-in-pakistan/694981/10 "2014-08-09T11:02:33Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > No it’s not. It’s an informal gathering of village or townspeople in one part of one province. Is the word commonly used in Pakistan? ---
**Author:** ![mandala](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mandala/32/95_2.png) [@mandala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mandala)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punchaid-system-in-pakistan/694981/11 "2014-08-11T05:16:34Z")
Don’t they call such groups “jirga” in Pakistan? ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punchaid-system-in-pakistan/694981/12 "2014-08-11T05:57:35Z")
> [@mandala](#): > > Don’t they call such groups “jirga” in Pakistan? Only in Pakhto-speaking areas.\* \*Pakhto is how Pashto is pronounced in the dialects spoken in Pakistan.