Claim: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) will not issue fresh banknotes ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr this year.
Fact: The SBP refuted the claim, saying it has issued fresh banknotes worth PKR 27 billion of all denominations so far to thousands of branches of various commercial banks.
On 17 March 2025, Facebook user ‘Adnan Raza Khan’ posted (archive) a visual with the following text:
“عید الفطر کی آمد کے موقع پر نئے کرنسی نوٹ جاری ہونگے یا نہیں خبر آگئی ! منقول
[Will fresh currency notes be issued on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr? News has arrived! Copied]”
The visual by ‘Adnan Raza Khan’ — who describes themselves as a “digital creator” and “journalist” — contains a picture showing stacks of Pakistani banknotes in the background. The user’s name is written in Urdu at the top-right and references to their other social media accounts are given at the bottom of the image.
The accompanying caption includes the following text:
“کیا اس سال عوام کو اپنے پیاروں بالخصوص بچوں کو عیدی دینے کے لیے نئے نوٹ مل سکیں گے یا نہیں؟ ذرائع نے دعویٰ کیا ہے کہ اس سال بھی نئے نوٹوں کے اجراء کے امکانات کافی کم ہیں تاہم اسٹیٹ بینک کی جانب سے نئے کرنسی نوٹوں کے اجراء کے حوالے سے کوئی باضابطہ بیان سامنے نہیں آیا۔
[Will the public be able to get fresh banknotes to give to their loved ones, especially children, on Eid this year or not? Sources have claimed that the chances of issuing new notes this year too are very slim; however, no official statement has been made by the State Bank [of Pakistan] regarding the issuance of new currency notes.]”
Ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, a religious festival that marks the conclusion of the Islamic month of Ramazan, people expect the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to issue fresh banknotes so that they can give cash gifts, known as ‘Eidi’, to younger family members.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check traced the keywords from the post’s caption back to a report published by ARY News on 15 March, with the title: “عید الفطر پر نئے کرنسی نوٹ جاری ہوں گے یا نہیں؟ اہم خبر آگئی [Will fresh currency notes be issued on Eid-ul-Fitr or not? Important news has arrived]”.
The report by ARY News is based only on one unnamed source, rendering it dubious.
As for the claim itself, the central bank issued a rebuttal soon after its circulation, titled, “SBP Clarification on Issuance of Fresh Banknotes.”
According to the statement shared on 18 March, “The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) strongly refutes the assertion that SBP is not issuing fresh banknotes. The SBP continues its longstanding practice of issuing fresh banknotes to Commercial Banks on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, leveraging their extensive nationwide branch networks to facilitate public access to fresh banknotes.
“Keeping with the practice, SBP has so far issued Rs. 27 billion [worth of] fresh banknotes of all denominations to 17,000 branches of commercial banks for onward distribution to [the] general public. Likewise, arrangements have also been made to ensure that [the] ATM network of banks issue uninterrupted good quality banknotes to the general public during the festive season,” the statement added.
Soch Fact Check, therefore, concludes that reports and social media posts claiming the SBP would not issue fresh banknotes ahead of Eid are false.
Virality
Soch Fact Check found social media posts by ARY News here, here, here, and here.
Other outlets also published similar reports, with some containing text that was copied verbatim. These include MM News, Pakistan Observer, 24 News, Daily Ausaf, Daily Pakistan, Daily Qudrat, City 42, and BOL News.
On Facebook, we found the claim posted here, here, here, here, and here.
Some websites and blogs also rehashed the claim, as seen here, here, and here.
Conclusion: The SBP refuted the claim, saying it has so far issued fresh banknotes worth PKR 27 billion of all denominations to 17,000 branches of various commercial banks for onward distribution to the public.
Background image in cover photo: StateBankPakistan
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