After a senior official at Pakistan's central bank said in late August they were considering phasing out the 10-rupee banknote, social media posts shared a bogus graphic falsely claiming the decision had already been made and people had until the end of September to exchange their money. The graphic contained several design inconsistencies as compared with an official notice from the State Bank of Pakistan and the 10-rupee banknote remains in circulation as of September 15, 2026.
"The Government of Pakistan has decided to discontinue the 10-rupee note," says part of the Urdu-language caption of a Facebook graphic shared on September 4, 2026.
"September 30 has been set as the deadline for exchanging the notes. Everyone should get their notes exchanged before the specified date."
The graphic supposedly shows a notice issued by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) bearing what appears to be the central bank's logo.
It claims the decision was made because the 10-rupee banknote ($36 cents) is no longer widely used, its printing and maintenance are costly, and to promote digital payments and modernise the currency system.
The same graphic was also shared in similar Facebook and X posts after local media reported that the SBP's Deputy Governor Dr Inayat Hussain had told the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue on August 25 that the central bank was considering phasing out the 10-rupee banknote because of rising printing costs (archived here and here).
"I am wondering how will a shopkeeper give us 30 rupees in change if the 10-rupee note is banned?" read a comment on one of the posts, while another said: "This should not be done."
According to the media reports, Hussain said denomination changes could follow the introduction of new currency notes.
The central bank has not already publicly announced it is removing the 10-rupee banknote nor has it set a deadline for people to exchange existing notes, contrary to the claims being spread online.
The posts repeat earlier baseless claims that circulated on Facebook and X posts at the end of August, which said the SBP had announced it would "discontinue the 10-rupee currency note effective September 1st".
SBP told AFP that if a notification does not also appear on the central bank's official website or its official social media pages, then the public should discard it ( archived link).
As of September 15, the 10-rupee banknote remains listed as valid currency on the central bank's website ( archived link).
AFP also found no announcements or notices on these platforms about the SBP phasing out the 10-rupee note or anything resembling the graphic circulating on social media.
There have also been no official reports about the purported phasing out, or of a deadline for people to exchange the 10-rupee banknote.
A comparison of the circulating graphic and the SBP's official logo and name in Urdu found several inconsistencies in the design and words used, reinforcing the belief the graphic is a fabrication ( archived link).
AFP previously debunked a similar claim about Pakistan supposedly banning the 5,000-rupee banknote.