The removal of the Mohenjo-Daro image on Pakistani banknotes has alarmed the Sindh government. In response, Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah, Sindh’s Minister for Culture and Tourism, wrote a letter to the Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

The decision to replace the image of the historic location on the 20-rupee note with the Khyber Pass was met with reservations in the letter. Mohenjo-Daro, who first featured on the 10-rupee note in the 1970s and then on the 20-rupee note, has reportedly been replaced without consulting anyone, according to the letter.

Shah emphasised that Mohenjo-Daro is a UNESCO World Heritage place, a historic place, and the seat of a 5,000-year-old civilisation. With reference to Mohenjo-Daro as one of the world’s oldest urban settlements, the letter emphasised that it is a source of pride for Sindh and Pakistan.

The Sindh Department of Culture cautioned that it would be a mistake to overlook such an important aspect of the nation’s legacy and encouraged the SBP to reevaluate the decision. The letter demanded that the historical legacy and global significance of Mohenjo-Daro be appropriately acknowledged.

The SBP revealed the winners of a contest to create new designs on September 7. money notes, which provoked discussion on the internet. Some social media users have questioned one of the winning designs—the Rs 5,000 note, in particular—for showing the internationally recognised disputed territory of the Jammu and Kashmir region.

Some people claimed there was nothing wrong with the way the disputed area was shown and that the art competition had no official significance, while others perceived it as an effort to “normalise Kashmir’s exclusion.”

The SBP had previously stated that foreign designers would work with the SBP to finalise the new currency series, however this revelation was contradicted by the online criticism.