'Pak' out of 'Mysore Pak': Jaipur sweet shops rename popular dessert to this, amid India-Pakistan conflict

Amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan, sweet shops in Rajasthan’s Jaipur have begun renaming popular Indian desserts, dropping the word "Pak" from their names in a symbolic gesture.

Shopkeepers in Jaipur are rebranding time-honoured sweets that carry the term "Pak," a word commonly used in Indian dessert names such as Mysore Pak, Moti Pak, and Gond Pak.

Due to changes, certain famous Indian sweets previously known as Moti Pak, Aam Pak, Gond Pak, and Mysore Pak will now be sold under the names Moti Shree, Aam Shree, Gond Shree, and Mysore Shree, respectively.

While the word "Pak" in these sweets has no connection to Pakistan—in Kannada, it refers to sugar syrup used in the preparation, the timing of the rebranding aligns with a surge in nationalist sentiment following the recent hostilities.

Mysore Pak, a dense, rich sweet originating in Mysuru, Karnataka, traditionally carries the term "Pak" to denote the syrup stage in which ingredients are combined, not a political reference. Despite this, the symbolic renaming has gained traction in Jaipur’s markets.

The move comes in the aftermath of the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which left 26 people dead. After confirming cross-border involvement, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror camps across the Line of Control in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The exchange escalated with Pakistan launching missile and drone strikes, prompting retaliatory Indian airstrikes before both sides agreed to a ceasefire on May 10.