Pakistan Affairs MCQs – Page 6 (Q51-60)

The Pakistani Rupee (PKR) is the official currency of Pakistan, issued and regulated by the State Bank of Pakistan, and is subdivided into 100 paisa, though paisa coins have largely fallen out of circulation. It replaced the Indian rupee as legal tender shortly after independence in 1947, before Pakistan introduced its own distinct currency notes and coins. Pakistani banknotes carry a portrait of Muhammad Ali Jinnah on all major denominations, alongside images of national landmarks like the Faisal Mosque and Khyber Pass. Neighbouring currencies use different names, such as the Bangladeshi Taka and various Gulf currencies called Riyal or Dinar, none of which apply to Pakistan.

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), established as the country's central bank, is responsible for issuing currency, setting monetary policy, and regulating the banking sector, with its head office in Karachi. It began operations on 1 July 1948, opened formally by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who delivered one of his last major public addresses at the event. The National Bank of Pakistan, by contrast, is a large commercial and state-owned bank rather than the central bank, while Habib Bank is one of Pakistan's oldest private commercial banks. The SBP also manages Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves and plays a central role in the country's economic stability and inflation control.

The State Bank of Pakistan was established in 1948, formally inaugurated on 1 July of that year in Karachi by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, in one of his final public appearances before his death in September of the same year. It took over central banking functions previously performed by the Reserve Bank of India for the newly independent country. The bank operates under the State Bank of Pakistan Act 1956, which further defined its powers over currency issuance and monetary policy. Today it oversees monetary stability, regulates commercial banks, and manages Pakistan's foreign currency reserves from its head office on Karachi's I.I. Chundrigar Road, the country's financial hub.

Hafeez Jalandhari wrote the lyrics of Pakistan's national anthem, 'Qaumi Taranah', composed almost entirely in Persian with only one Urdu word, 'ka', reflecting the shared Persian-Urdu literary heritage of the region. The anthem was officially adopted in August 1954, several years after independence, following a government committee process to select both music and lyrics. Unusually, the tune was composed by Ahmed Ghulam Ali Chagla in 1949 before the words were finalised, meaning the melody predates the lyrics it now carries. Jalandhari was a celebrated Urdu poet whose broader body of work spans romantic, nationalist and religious themes across several literary collections.

Ahmed Ghulam Ali Chagla composed the music for Pakistan's national anthem in 1949, making the tune older than the officially adopted lyrics, which Hafeez Jalandhari wrote and which were approved only in 1954. The anthem, 'Qaumi Taranah', is performed in a formal orchestral style lasting roughly 80 seconds, played at state functions, sporting events and the start of the broadcasting day. Because the melody preceded the words, the anthem is a rare example globally where the tune was composed before its lyrics were written. Other named composers, such as Nisar Bazmi and Sohail Rana, were prominent later figures in Pakistani film and television music rather than the anthem's creators.

Allama Muhammad Iqbal is regarded as Pakistan's national poet, celebrated for his Urdu and Persian poetry that emphasised Muslim self-identity, spiritual awakening and political awareness across British India. His 1930 Allahabad Address, proposing a separate Muslim state in the subcontinent's northwest, gave him lasting recognition as an ideological forerunner of the Pakistan Movement, though he died in 1938, nine years before independence. Major works include Bang-e-Dra, Bal-e-Jibril and the Persian masnavi Asrar-e-Khudi. His birthday, 9 November, is observed nationally as Iqbal Day, distinguishing him from later poets like Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Ahmed Faraz, celebrated separately for their progressive and romantic verse.

The Shalwar Kameez, a loose-fitting tunic (kameez) paired with drawstring trousers (shalwar), is Pakistan's national dress, worn across genders, provinces and social classes with regional variations in cut and style. It is often paired with a waistcoat or Sherwani for formal and ceremonial occasions, particularly at weddings and official state events. The garment's roots trace to Central and South Asian clothing traditions, later adapted and popularised across the subcontinent under various regional and Mughal influences. While the Sherwani is a formal coat historically linked to Muslim aristocracy and the Kurta Pajama is common in India and parts of Pakistan, neither carries Pakistan's official national dress status.

The crescent and star on Pakistan's flag represent progress and light, symbolising the country's aspirations for advancement and enlightenment as envisioned at independence. The flag was designed based on the All-India Muslim League's flag, adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 11 August 1947, just days before independence. Its dark green base represents the Muslim majority, while the white vertical stripe on the hoist side represents religious minorities and their protected place within the state. The crescent and star motif is a widely used symbol across many Muslim-majority countries, though Pakistan's flag design and colour scheme remain distinctively its own.

The white vertical stripe on the hoist side of Pakistan's flag represents the country's religious minorities, including Hindus, Christians, Sikhs and others, symbolising their protected status within the newly formed state. This design element was reportedly emphasised by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who envisioned Pakistan as a state where minorities would enjoy equal citizenship rights. The dark green field occupying the rest of the flag represents the Muslim majority, while the white crescent and five-pointed star within the green field stand for progress and light respectively. The flag was formally adopted on 11 August 1947, just before independence, based closely on the All-India Muslim League's earlier banner.

The dark green field of Pakistan's flag represents the country's Muslim majority population, forming the largest portion of the flag's design. Set against this green background are a white crescent and five-pointed star, together symbolising progress and light respectively, both closely associated with Islamic iconography used across many Muslim nations. A separate white vertical stripe along the hoist side represents Pakistan's religious minorities, reflecting the state's stated commitment to their protection. The flag, adopted on 11 August 1947 just before independence, was based on the flag previously used by the All-India Muslim League during the independence movement.