Pakistani Rupee

The Pakistani Rupee (PKR) is the official currency of Pakistan. It consists of 100 paise (singular paisa). Pakistan began printing its own currency in 1948, using Indian currency with "Pakistan" stamped over for the first few months of independence.

Like the Indian Rupee, it was originally divided into 16 Annas. This lasted until 1961 when the currency was finally decimalized into 100 paise. As of 2004 1 US Dollar is worth around 57 Rupees.

Banknotes

The State Bank of Pakistan is responsible for printing Rupee banknotes, and these are printed in 1, 2, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, and 1,000 denominations. All banknotes other than the one and two rupee ones feature a portrait of Muhammad Ali Jinnah on the front along with writing in Urdu. The backsides of banknotes vary in what image they display, and contain information in English. The only Urdu text found on the backsides of banknotes contain the legend "Earning legal livelihood is akin to prayer". Banknotes vary in width and color, with larger denominations being longer than smaller ones, and all containing multiple colors. However, each rupee does have one color that is predominant on it. 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.

Banknote pictures

Description of rupee banknotes

Denomination	Dimensions	Dominant Color(s)	Back Illustration
1 Rupee	95 x 66 mm	Brown	Tomb of Allama Iqbal in Lahore
2 Rupees	109 x 60 mm	Purple	Badshahi Masjid in Lahore
5 Rupees	127 x 73 mm	Burgundy	Tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam near Multan
10 Rupees	141 x 74 mm	Green	Mohenjo-daro
50 Rupees	154 x 73 mm	Purple and Red	Alamgiri Gate of the Lahore Fort
100 Rupees	165 x 73 mm	Red and Orange	The Islamic College of Peshawar
500 Rupees	175 x 73 mm	Green, tan, red, and orange	The State Bank of Pakistan in Islamabad
1000 Rupees	175 x 73 mm	Blue	Tomb of Jehangir in Lahore

Depiction of rupee banknotes

Front	Value (Rupees)	Back
	1
	2
	5
	10
	50
	100
	500
	1000

Exchange Rate

The Pakistani rupee depreciated against the US dollar until the turn of the century, when Pakistan's large current-account surplus pushed the value of the Rupee up versus the dollar. Pakistan's central bank then tried to hold the rupee down, by lowering interest rates and buying dollars, in order preserve the country's export competitiveness. The rupee's value now appears to more stable than it has been for much of Pakistan's history.