Seems like every Pakistani child knows that it’s Karakoram Range and K-2 peak; though State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) is in doubt. On top of it, proof reading culture is not very popular in Pakistan. In the latest release of Rs 50 note the K2 peak has been written as the ‘Karakoram Peak’.
Earlier this month, SBP launched newer note of Rs. 50 and re-launched note of Rs. 5. The notes were approved by federal cabinet (I’m forgetting if this is the graduate cabinet or there are exceptions included?). A thorough briefing on security features embedded in notes was given by Dr. Shamshad Akhtar as well.
The back side of Rs. 50 note displays a beautiful view of World’s second tallest peak and the all-famous K-2, situated in the Karakoram range. A sales executive in Peshawar raised the point and a very valid one. As The News report:
SBP should clarify the situation. Its efforts to promote Pakistan’s landmarks such as the K2 peak on its currency notes are praiseworthy, but it should be careful not to distort facts.
Either its just an innocent mistake or we really do need to straighten out some facts here.
Related Reading:
No More Guilt Trips on Currency Notes in Pakistan
reminded me of a commercial of some tobacco company which goes ,
k2 ka Pakistan.
tou bhai Pakistan tou k2 ka hai, apna kya hai?
state bank didnt use the proper name of the peak just to avoid the brand name(k2) of some tobacco company , they didnt want to become an advertising agency to this company for FREE, see how cautious these top bankers are.
karakoram PAN KI PEAK is just perfect.
@Riaz,
agree with you completely on that point. The reality, not just in Pakistan but everywhere, is that you cannot motivate talented young people to forgo lucrative careers and instead get caught up in a rudderless bureaucracy by simply offering better pay, etc…government can never compete with the private sector in that regard.
What the government can do, however, is somehow convince these people that what they do as civil servants is much more likely to have a big impact than what they might do in a bank. And for that, you need inspirational leaders, which we seem to have very few of.
@Shahrukh
“Does it matter what you put there?
I mean what its significant value?
Is it equal to any thing like diamonds or rubys?
When US dollar was introduced, it was backed by Gold Coins so what is rupee stands for?
It makes me think, Where Money Comes From?”
I see where you’re headed–conspiracy theories are so much easier to understand and enjoy than the facts, aren’t they?
A U.S. dollar’s value is judged only by the confidence people have in it, and not by any tangible object. Most currencies are handled similarly. Also, diamonds have no intrinsic value–their market value is mainly due to very clever marketing by De Beers.
Does it matter what you put there?
I mean what its significant value?
Is it equal to any thing like diamonds or rubys?
When US dollar was introduced, it was backed by Gold Coins so what is rupee stands for?
It makes me think, Where Money Comes From?
Agree. I take our mountains very seriously :-)
It should be stated as “K2” or “Karakoram 2”. There is no such thing called “Karakoram Peak”.
“Karakoram Peak” is not even listed in top 100 Mountains.
For purists, K2 also stands for. “K2” listed under a Mountain on a Pakistani Currency is clear enough to suggest second highest Mountain or Peak.
1. Karshi-Khanabad airbase in south-eastern Uzbekistan. This is also known as K2
2. K2 (two paddlers) Kayak
3. Mount K2 is a mountain located in the upper Athabasca River Valley of Jasper National Park, 1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest_mount ains
http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Karshi-K hanabad
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kayak
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_K2
I wouldn’t put this in the category of serious errors by the bureaucracy, although I think our government represents a sea of mediocrity. Whether it is managing public communication and messaging, or crime scene investigations after frequent horrible crimes, or presenting the new prime minister to the nation in a televised address, you see serious incompetence on display. It seems to be the case of lack of talent interested in government service or the inadequacy of the recruitment process or just plain lack of effort by government employees feeling secure in their jobs. The results of what they do are clearly disappointing.