Originally Posted by KLF

No it hasnt. The name 'Panjab' was coined by the Mughals, which was later corrupted by the British to 'Punjab'. Prior to the reign of Akbar Punjab has been generically referred to as Hindustan by other invaders to the region (including Babur, the first Mughal). Guru Nanak even does not mention anywhere the word "Punjab". Guru Nanak himself uses the word 'Hindustan' for the region in Gurbani and other compositions by him.

The name Punjab has no history beyond its introduction by the Mughals around 400 or so years ago. It also has no meaning left anymore after the partition. Not only that, but Punjab as it was during the British era was a land of many different peoples and cultures. There is little to nothing in common the people of say Multan and Bahawalpur (Pakistani Punjab) with the people of Kangra and Simla (now both in Himachal Pradesh) nor is there anything in particular in common with someone from Lahore and Amritsar with someone from Jind or Faridabad (now both in Haryana).

There is no such thing as a "Punjabi nation". The area now known as Punjab is home to different peoples and nations, the Sikhs being the most distinct and with the strongest identity. The Sikhs are also the only people of 'Punjab' to have ever successfully resisted invaders from West and Central Asia. Not only resist them but successfully expel them from the region and establish an indigenous kingdom.

Before the Khalsa people of 'Punjab' were nothing and for centuries were being ruled over and humiliated constantly by Persians, Turks, Afghans and other invaders. It is a great tragedy therefore that the foreign word 'Punjab' is still being applied to the Sikh homeland. Khalistan is a far more appropriate name since it reflects the character and aspirations of the Sikhs.