The State Emblem of Pakistan

Every country has its unique national heroes, national symbols, and other things. These symbols make up a country’s national identity. All national symbols of Pakistan were chosen at different times after and before the creation of Pakistan. The state emblem of Pakistan was adopted in 1954 and symbolizes Pakistan’s ideological foundation, the basis of its economy, its cultural heritage and its guiding principles. The four components of the emblem are a crescent and star crest above a shield, which is surrounded by a wreath, below which is a scroll.

The crest and the green colour of the emblem are traditional symbols of Islam. Pakistan’s emergence was not just the emergence of a new state, but it was created based on Islamic Ideology. For the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent, the demand for Pakistan was an expression of their deepest emotions for their political and cultural identity. Pakistan was created as the first Islamic State after the establishment of the State of Medina in 622 A.D. as an ideological state on the basis of Islam.

The quartered shield in the centre shows cotton, wheat, tea and jute, which were the major crops of Pakistan at independence and are shown in a form of shield and signify as the main agricultural base for the importance of the Nation’s economy. Pakistan has been one of the world’s largest producers of raw cotton. The size of the annual cotton crop—the bulk of it grown in Punjab province—is a crucial barometer of the health of the overall economy, as it determines the availability and cost of the main raw material for the yarn-spinning industry, much of which is concentrated around the southern port city of Karachi. Wheat is the major rabi crop, which extends from November to April. The key to a much-needed improvement of productivity lies in more efficient use of resources, principally land and water.

However, change is dependent on the large landowners who own 40 per cent of the arable land and control most of the irrigation system, which makes widespread reform difficult. Assessments by independent agencies, including the World Bank, show large landholdings to be very unproductive and Pakistan has now become a net importer of agricultural commodities. Jute is the cheapest natural fibre and is hundred per cent biodegradable and recyclable and thus environment-friendly.

According to the All Pakistan Jute Mills Association (PJMA) woven polypropylene bag manufacturers have tried to downplay the importance and significance of jute bags because of the slightly higher initial cost. However, jute bag is proved to be the most environment-friendly packaging material available for storing agricultural products such as wheat and it also wipes out the unfavourable impact of usage of polypropylene bags on our environment and ecology.

Tea is one of the three major non-alcoholic beverages used in the world. With the flourishing of the tea industry in Pakistan in its present form, many attempts have been made so far on the Government level and in the private sector as well from the last 50 years. The serious efforts began in the late 80`s. With Governmental encouragement, tea was started to its blooming and the replacement of other crops in the area were made accordingly. A research institute of Mansehra district has found that Pakistan has great potential for producing both black and green tea. Both green and black tea varieties are processed at the National Tea and High-Value Crops Research Institute (NTHRI) in Shinkiari, 18km north of the Mansehra city on the Karakoram highway.

The floral wreath, surrounding the shield, is Jasminum officinale (the national flower) and represents the floral designs used in traditional Mughal art and emphasizes the cultural heritage of Pakistan. The rise of British colonial power in South Asia after the death of Aurangzeb saw a proportional decline of traditional art and crafts in Pakistani territories. Mughal-style miniature paintings were no exception. Throughout the 19th century, with official patronage, local artists paid more attention to European salons and academic styles. Notwithstanding this neglect, Mughal-style miniature art continued to register a slow but steady revival in Lahore’s ateliers in the late 19th century. The continuity of tradition is, in fact, the most significant feature of Pakistani culture which is like an old living river that accepts varied streams but maintains its distinct course. It has the qualities of absorption, assimilation, acceptance and ability to synthesize. These qualities make Pakistani culture resilient, diverse and vibrant. The continuity of tradition is, in fact, the most significant feature of Pakistani culture which is like an old living river that accepts varied streams but maintains its distinct course. It has the qualities of absorption, assimilation, acceptance and ability to synthesize. These qualities make Pakistani culture resilient, diverse and vibrant.

The scroll supporting the shield contains the national motto in Urdu, “Īmān, Ittiḥād, Naẓm”, which reads from right to left: (ایمان، اتحاد، نظم), translated as “Faith, Unity, Discipline” which are intended as the guiding principles for Pakistan. The State Emblem of Pakistan symbolizes our ideological foundation

A floral wreath of Jasmine surrounds the shield. Jasmine is also the national flower of Pakistan. This shield is a representation of our Mughal cultural heritage. Moreover, there is a scroll at the bottom, containing the phrase Iman, Ittehad, Tanzeem. The three words were adopted as the country’s national motto in 1948. They were then inscribed on the country’s state emblem. But since Jinnah had explained the last word ‘nazm’ as ‘discipline’ in his 1947 speech, it was translated into Urdu as ‘tanzeem’. But school textbooks till the early 1970s used both. Sometimes they stated the motto to be “Ittehad, Yaqeen, Nazm” and sometimes “Ittehad, Yaqeen, Tanzeem” — even though tanzeem largely means ‘to manage’ or ‘to arrange’ and it can also mean ‘organisation’.

This sequence of the words also appeared prominently in the special coins issued by the Z.A. Bhutto regime during Jinnah’s 100th birth anniversary in December 1976. The words on the coins only appear in English. However, the order of the words was suddenly changed after Gen Zia toppled Bhutto’s regime in July 1977. The word ‘faith’ was put before ‘unity.’ But it seems that the change went almost unnoticed by the media. Even though the altered order of words increasingly replaced the previous sequencing of the motto in textbooks, government documents and on the state emblem, I have yet to find anything written on this in newspapers published during the Zia regime (1977-88).

The emblem of Pakistan is a beautiful blend of different symbols and colours. It is a representation of our beliefs and cultural legacy. Long live Pakistan.