KARACHI: To mark the country’s 75 years of independence, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Sunday issued a Rs75 commemorative banknote featuring not only the portraits of Quaid-i-Azam Moha­mmad Ali Jinnah, Allama Iqbal, Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah and Sir Syed Ahmed Khan but also highlighting nation’s commitment to address climate change.

The green and white currency note has tones of yellow, where the green represents growth and development and derives inspiration from the country’s Islamic identity and the white colour emphasises religious diversity of the population, according to the SBP.

“The Markhor and Deodar trees pictured on the reverse of the Banknote highlight our national commitment to address climate change and its repercussions,” a statement issued by the SBP mentioned.

While unveiling the banknote in a ceremony at the SBP Museum, SBP Acting Governor Dr Murtaza Syed said that while coins and postage stamps were regularly issued to mark days of national importance, it was rare for the SBP to issue a commemorative banknote.

Mr Syed also inaugurated the Roshan Pension Plan (RPP) under the Roshan Digital Account initiative for Overseas Pakistanis. Overs­eas Pakistanis could also avail the benefits of financial planning for their retirement through RPP, he said.

Talking about the economic challenges faced by the economy, Dr Syed advised citizens to not pay heed to misinformation propagated on social media. He hoped the crucial IMF bailout programme would provide reprieve to the country and Pakistan will not be vulnerable as compared to the countries that do not have the IMF programme.

Published in Dawn, August 15th, 2022