{"id":11051,"date":"2026-08-14T09:46:53","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T09:46:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/?p=11051"},"modified":"2026-08-14T09:46:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T09:46:55","slug":"pakistan-at-birth-fascinating-facts-from-the-countrys-earliest-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/?p=11051","title":{"rendered":"Pakistan at birth: Fascinating facts from the country\u2019s earliest days"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every August, the story of Pakistan\u2019s independence arrives with familiar images: green-and-white flags, the national anthem, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah\u2019s speeches and crowds celebrating on the streets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the birth of a country is rarely as neat as the version we inherit today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the days and months surrounding August 1947, Pakistan was still figuring out what its institutions, symbols and even its everyday paperwork would look like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are some fascinating details that reveal just how quickly a new country had to build itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Pakistan\u2019s first radio announcement came at midnight<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.tribune.com.pk\/media\/images\/radio-pakistan1786692007-0\/radio-pakistan1786692007-0.png\" alt=\"Mustafa Ali Hamdani delivering the first Radio announcement on the creation of Pakistan. PHOTO: Radio Pakistan\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Mustafa Ali Hamdani delivering the first Radio announcement on the creation of Pakistan. PHOTO: Radio Pakistan<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before social media, television or even widespread telephone access, radio was the medium that could announce the birth of a country to millions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the early hours of independence, the newly created Pakistan Broadcasting Service went on air. According to&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.radio.gov.pk\/13-08-2026\/anniversary-of-radio-pakistan-to-be-observed-on-friday\">Radio Pakistan<\/a><\/em>, the first English announcement was made by Zahur Azar, followed by Mustafa Ali Hamdani\u2019s Urdu announcement from Lahore. The service began broadcasting as Pakistan came into being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The famous opening \u2014 \u201cThis is Pakistan Broadcasting Service\u201d \u2014 was therefore not simply the beginning of a broadcast. It was effectively the sound of a new state introducing itself to the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Azar announced:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAt the stroke of twelve midnight, the independent sovereign state of Pakistan will come into existence. This is Pakistan Broadcasting Service. We now bring you a special programme on the dawn of Pakistan\u2019s independence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hamdani followed with his Urdu announcement from Lahore, marking the arrival of independence in the early hours of August 14, 1947.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Interestingly, Pakistan inherited only three radio stations at independence: Lahore, Peshawar and Dhaka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The first newspaper headline was remarkably dramatic<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.tribune.com.pk\/media\/images\/pak-headline1786692150-0\/pak-headline1786692150-0.png\" alt=\"PHOTO: Screengrab\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next morning, Pakistan\u2019s birth appeared in print. The front page on August 15, 1947, carried the enormous headline:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBIRTH OF PAKISTAN AN EVENT IN HISTORY\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The paper\u2019s archive describes the issue as reporting on the extraordinary scenes in Karachi, then the capital of the new dominion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For a modern reader, the old front page is striking not only because of the headline, but because it captures a country that was still being introduced to itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Pakistan\u2019s flag was approved only three days before independence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.tribune.com.pk\/media\/images\/pak-history-flag1786692284-0\/pak-history-flag1786692284-0.png\" alt=\"Pakistan's flag being raised for the first time. PHOTO: Alamy\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The flag that now appears everywhere in August \u2014 on buildings, cars, balconies and school uniforms \u2014 was formally approved by the Constituent Assembly on August 11, 1947.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That was just&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/mofa.gov.pk\/ankara-national-symbols-of-pakistan\">three days<\/a>&nbsp;before independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Designed by Syed Amir-uddin Kedwaii, the flag that now feels like one of Pakistan\u2019s oldest and most established symbols received its final approval just days before the creation of the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The flag\u2019s symbolism is equally significant. The dark green field represents the Muslim majority, while the white vertical stripe represents religious minorities. The white crescent symbolises progress, while the five-pointed star represents light and knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The national anthem we know today did not exist yet<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.tribune.com.pk\/media\/images\/national-anthem1786692435-0\/national-anthem1786692435-0.png\" alt=\"The national anthem being sung for the first time. PHOTO: The Friday Times\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the sounds most closely associated with Pakistan is the&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsgram.com\/pakistan\/2026\/04\/27\/story-behind-pakistans-qaumi-taranah-national-anthem\">Qaumi Tarana<\/a><\/em>. Yet Pakistan did not have the national anthem we sing today when it became independent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The anthem was officially approved in August 1954, seven years after independence. The lyrics were written by Hafeez Jalandhari, while the music was composed by Ahmad G&nbsp;Chagla.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The anthem is notable for its highly Persianised Urdu vocabulary and formal poetic style, reflecting the literary traditions of the time. Its language was deliberately formal and sophisticated, reflecting the literary conventions of the period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Karachi was Pakistan\u2019s first capital<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/Db-_Y3cAnwH\/embed\/?cr=1&#038;v=14&#038;wp=658&#038;rd=https%3A%2F%2Ftribune.com.pk&#038;rp=%2Fstory%2F2623840%2Fpakistan-at-birth-fascinating-facts-from-the-countrys-earliest-days#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A2896.2999999988824%2C%22ls%22%3A1336.8999999985099%2C%22le%22%3A2866.7999999988824%7D<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Long before Islamabad became synonymous with Pakistan\u2019s federal government, the country\u2019s political centre was Karachi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Karachi was chosen as the capital in 1947 and was already an established port, commercial centre and administrative city. Its position on the Arabian Sea also made it an important connection between the new country and the outside world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The city was therefore doing several jobs at once: it was the capital, the country\u2019s principal port and a major economic centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On August 14, the historic Transfer of Power ceremony took place at the Sindh Assembly Building in Karachi. Lord Louis Mountbatten, the Governor-General of India, addressed the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, marking the formal transfer of power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Karachi\u2019s time as capital was relatively short. The capital was shifted to Rawalpindi in 1959 and then to Islamabad, which became the permanent capital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Jinnah became Governor-General on August 15<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.tribune.com.pk\/media\/images\/jinnah-governor1786692644-0\/jinnah-governor1786692644-0.png\" alt=\"Muhammad Ali Jinnah becomes governor of Pakistan in Karachi. PHOTO: The Nation\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jinnah was&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/franpritchett.com\/00islamlinks\/txt_jinnah_assembly_1947.html\">sworn<\/a>&nbsp;in as Pakistan\u2019s first Governor-General on August 15, 1947, with Chief Justice Mian Abdur Rashid administering the oath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Following the oath, a 31-gun salute was fired, and Pakistan\u2019s first Cabinet was sworn in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Pakistan\u2019s early banknotes still carried King George VI<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.tribune.com.pk\/media\/images\/pak-note1786693085-0\/pak-note1786693085-0.png\" alt=\"PHOTO: Colin Narbeth\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Perhaps the strangest-looking relic of Pakistan\u2019s early days is its&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sbp.org.pk\/museum\/pakistani-banknotes\">first currency<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pakistan\u2019s new monetary system initially had to rely on arrangements inherited from British India. The State Bank of Pakistan\u2019s historical records show that the Government of Pakistan issued an emergency banknote series on October 1, 1948, in Rs5, Rs10 and Rs100 denominations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier provisional notes issued for Pakistan could still carry King George VI\u2019s portrait, alongside the words \u201cGovernment of Pakistan\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pakistan eventually moved towards its own distinct currency designs. On December 24, 1957, a Rs100 banknote featuring a portrait of&nbsp;Jinnah was issued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Pakistan\u2019s first stamps came almost a year after independence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.tribune.com.pk\/media\/images\/national-postage-museum1786692796-0\/national-postage-museum1786692796-0.png\" alt=\"PHOTO: National Postage Museum\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>PHOTO: National Postage Museum<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A new country needs more than speeches and flags. It also needs stamps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pakistan&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/lahoremuseum.punjab.gov.pk\/index.php\/taxonomy\/term\/14\">issued<\/a>&nbsp;its first commemorative postage stamps on October 1, 1947, while its first regular series of definitive stamps was introduced on July 9, 1948, nearly eleven months after independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first definitive series consisted of four stamps and was designed by renowned artist Abdur Rahman Chughtai. One of the designs featured the crescent and star and carried the words \u201cPakistan Zindabad\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before Pakistan had its own stamps, existing Indian postage stamps were used with the word \u201cPakistan\u201d overprinted on them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is a small detail, but it shows the practical reality of independence: a country could be declared in a day, but creating all the physical machinery of a state took considerably longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Independence was only the beginning<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Looking back from 2026, it is easy to imagine that Pakistan emerged in August 1947 with everything already in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The reality was considerably messier and arguably more fascinating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pakistan may have been born in August 1947, but building the institutions and symbols of the new state was a process that had only just begun.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Every August, the story of Pakistan\u2019s independence arrives with familiar images: green-and-white flags, the national anthem, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah\u2019s speeches and crowds celebrating on..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11052,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11051","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pakistan"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-8.png",800,800,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-8-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-8-300x300.png",300,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-8-768x768.png",768,768,true],"large":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-8.png",800,800,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-8.png",800,800,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-8.png",800,800,false]},"author_info":{"info":["admin"]},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/?cat=3\" rel=\"category\">Pakistan<\/a>","tag_info":"Pakistan","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11051","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11051"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11051\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11053,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11051\/revisions\/11053"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11051"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11051"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11051"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}