<P> Rigveda also describes several mythical rivers, including one named "Sindhu". The Rigvedic "Sindhu" is thought to be the present - day Indus river and is attested 176 times in its text--95 times in the plural, more often used in the generic meaning . In the Rigveda, notably in the later hymns, the meaning of the word is narrowed to refer to the Indus river in particular, as in the list of rivers mentioned in the hymn of Nadistuti sukta . The Rigvedic hymns apply a feminine gender to all the rivers mentioned therein but "Sindhu" is the only river attributed the masculine gender which means Sindhu is the warrior and greatest among all other rivers in whole world </P> <P> In other languages of the region, the river is known as सिन्धु (Sindhu) in Hindi and Nepali, سنڌو (Sindhu) in Sindhi, سندھ ‬ (Sindh) in Shahmukhi Punjabi, ਸਿੰਧ ਨਦੀ (Sindh Nadī) in Gurmukhī Punjabi, اباسين (Abāsin lit . "Father of Rivers") in Pashto, نهر السند (Nahar al - Sind) in Arabic, སེང ་ གེ ་ གཙང ་ པོ ། (seng ge gtsang po lit . "Lion River" or Lion Spring) in Tibetan, 印度 (Yìndù) in Chinese, and Nilab in Turki . </P> <P> The Indus River provides key water resources for Pakistan's economy--especially the breadbasket of Punjab province, which accounts for most of the nation's agricultural production, and Sindh . The word Punjab means "land of five rivers" and the five rivers are Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej, all of which finally flow into the Indus . The Indus also supports many heavy industries and provides the main supply of potable water in Pakistan . </P> <P> The ultimate source of the Indus is in Tibet; the river begins at the confluence of the Sengge Zangbo and Gar Tsangpo rivers that drain the Nganglong Kangri and Gangdise Shan (Gang Rinpoche, Mt . Kailas) mountain ranges . The Indus then flows northwest through Ladakh and Baltistan into Gilgit, just south of the Karakoram range . The Shyok, Shigar and Gilgit rivers carry glacial waters into the main river . It gradually bends to the south, coming out of the hills between Peshawar and Rawalpindi . The Indus passes gigantic gorges 4,500--5,200 metres (15,000--17,000 feet) deep near the Nanga Parbat massif . It flows swiftly across Hazara and is dammed at the Tarbela Reservoir . The Kabul River joins it near Attock . The remainder of its route to the sea is in the plains of the Punjab and Sindh, where the flow of the river becomes slow and highly braided . It is joined by the Panjnad at Mithankot . Beyond this confluence, the river, at one time, was named the Satnad River (sat = "seven", nadī = "river"), as the river now carried the waters of the Kabul River, the Indus River and the five Punjab rivers . Passing by Jamshoro, it ends in a large delta to the east of Thatta . </P>

The indus river is important to pakistan because the river