Recently, while examining a friend’s passport, I noticed something interesting about Pakistan’s national emblem. The emblem features a shield surrounded by a wreath of jasmine flowers. The shield is divided into four sections, each representing significant agricultural products of Pakistan at the time of its creation. These sections display cotton, wheat, tea, and jute. Above the shield, a crescent and star mirror the national flag, while a scroll beneath the wreath bears the words “Faith, Unity, Discipline” in Urdu.

This design, however, raises a question. Tea and jute, depicted on the emblem, are no longer grown in present-day Pakistan; these crops were primarily associated with former East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Given this, one might wonder why the emblem hasn’t been updated to reflect the country’s current agricultural profile. It seems reasonable to replace tea and jute with crops more relevant to modern Pakistan, such as rice and sugarcane.

It may be time for the National Assembly to consider updating the emblem to better represent the nation’s contemporary identity and agricultural reality. Such a change would ensure that the emblem accurately reflects Pakistan’s current strengths and national character.

MOIN AHMED AWAN,

Sindh.