What currency is Pakistan’s official money, named after a Sanskrit word meaning “silver”?

Pakistan’s official currency, whose name ultimately refers to silver, is the Pakistani rupee.

The rupee became Pakistan’s currency after independence in 1947, when Pakistani banknotes initially circulated with an added mark identifying them for the new state. Pakistan later developed its own banknote designs and monetary institutions.

The State Bank of Pakistan issues banknotes and regulates the currency. One rupee is divided into 100 paisa, although paisa coins are no longer commonly encountered because inflation reduced their everyday value.

The word rupee is shared by several South Asian currencies and descends from rūpya, a Sanskrit term associated with worked silver. Pakistan’s rupee is therefore related by name to India’s rupee, but the two are separate national currencies with different issuing authorities and exchange values.