Banknotes
On 1 April 1948, provisional notes were issued by the Reserve Bank of India and the Government of India on behalf of the Government of Pakistan, for use exclusively within Pakistan, without the possibility of redemption in India. Printed by the India Security Press in Nasik, these notes consist of Indian note plates engraved (not overprinted) with the words GOVERNMENT OF PAKISTAN in English and “Hukumat-e-Pakistan” in Urdu added at the top and bottom, respectively, of the watermark area on the front only; the signatures on these notes remain those of Indian banking and finance officials.
Regular government issues commenced in 1948 in denominations of 1, 5, 10 and 100 rupees. The government continued to issue 1 rupee notes until the 1980s but other note issuing was taken over by the State Bank in 1953, when 2, 5, 10 and 100 rupees notes were issued. Only a few 2 rupees notes were issued. 50 rupees notes were added in 1957, with 2 rupees notes reintroduced in 1985. In 1986, 500 rupees notes were introduced, followed by 1000 rupees the next year. 2 and 5 rupees notes were replaced by coins in 1998 and 2002. 20 rupee notes were added in 2005, followed by 5000 rupees in 2006.
All banknotes other than the 1 and 2 rupees feature a portrait of Muhammad Ali Jinnah on the obverse along with writing in Urdu. The reverses of the banknotes vary in design and have English text. The only Urdu text found on the reverse is the Urdu translation of the Prophetic Hadith, "Seeking honest livelihood is worship of God." which is حصول رزق حلال عبادت ہے (Hasool-e-Rizq-e-Halal Ibaadat hai).
The banknotes vary in size and colour, with larger denominations being longer than smaller ones. All contain multiple colours. However, each denomination does have one colour which predominates. All banknotes feature a watermark for security purposes. On the larger denomination notes, the watermark is a picture of Jinnah, while on smaller notes, it is a crescent and star. Different types of security threads are also present in each banknote.
| Banknotes before the 2005 Series | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Value | Dimensions | Main Colour | Description – Reverse | Status | |
| Obverse | Reverse | |||||
| Rs. 1 | 95 × 66 mm | Brown | Tomb of Muhammad Iqbal in Lahore | No longer in Circulation | ||
| Rs. 2 | 109 × 66 mm | Purple | Badshahi Masjid in Lahore | |||
| Rs. 5 | 127 × 73 mm | Burgundy | Khojak Tunnel in Balochistan | |||
| Rs. 10 | 141 × 73 mm | Green | Mohenjo-daro in Larkana District | No longer printed – Still in Circulation | ||
| Rs. 50 | 154 × 73 mm | Purple and Red | Alamgiri Gate of the Lahore Fort in Lahore | |||
| Rs. 100 | 165 × 73 mm | Red and Orange | Islamia College in Peshawar | |||
| Rs. 500 | 175 × 73 mm | Green, tan, red, and orange | The State Bank of Pakistan in Islamabad | |||
| Rs. 1000 | 175 × 73 mm | Blue | Tomb of Jahangir in Lahore | |||
The State Bank has started a new series of banknotes, phasing out the older designs for new, more secure ones.
| 2005 Series | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Value | Dimensions | Main Colour | Description | Period | ||
| Obverse | Reverse | Obverse | Reverse | ||||
| Rs. 5 | 115 x 65 mm | Greenish Grey | Muhammad Ali Jinnah | Gwadar port, which is a mega project in Balochistan (Pakistan) | 8 July 2008 – present | ||
| Rs. 10 | 115 × 65 mm | Green | Bab ul Khyber which is the entrance to the Khyber Pass, Khyber Agency, FATA | 27 May 2006 – present | |||
| Rs. 20 | 123 × 65 mm | Orange Green | Mohenjo-daro in Larkana District | 22 March 2008 – present | |||
| Rs. 50 | 131 x 65 m.m. | Purple | K2, second highest mountain of the world in northern areas of Pakistan | 8 July 2008 – present | |||
| Rs. 100 | 139 × 65 mm | Red | Quaid-e-Azam Residency in Ziarat | 11 November 2006 – present | |||
| Rs. 500 | 147 × 65 mm | Rich Deep Green | Badshahi Masjid in Lahore | ||||
| Rs. 1000 | 155 × 65 mm | Dark blue | Islamia College in Peshawar | 26 February 2007 – present | |||
| Rs. 5000 | 163 × 65 mm | Mustard | Faisal Masjid in Islamabad | 27 May 2006 – present | |||
(*Recently the State Bank revised the Rs.20/- banknote, after complaints of its similarity to the Rs.5000/-, which caused a lot of confusion and financial losses, when people gave out Rs.5000/- notes, thinking them to be Rs.20/- notes)
Read more about this topic: Pakistani Rupee