Just realized how wild Pakistan's currency situation has been over the past 77 years. Grabbed some historical exchange data and the story is pretty interesting.

So back in 1947 when Pakistan gained independence, 1 dollar was just 3.31 PKR. For almost a decade it stayed flat at that rate. Then things started moving - by the mid-50s it hit 3.91, then 4.76 and basically held there for like 15 years.

Here's where it gets crazy though. Around 1972 there was a huge jump to 11 PKR, then it dropped back to around 10 PKR for most of the 70s and 80s. But starting from the 90s? Man, the depreciation just accelerated. By 2012 the dollar rate in pakistan had climbed to 96.50 PKR - that's a massive shift from just a few years before.

Fast forward to today and we're looking at 277 PKR per dollar in 2024. The currency has basically been on a downward trend, especially in the last decade. 2018-2019 saw another sharp drop, then 2022-2023 was brutal with rates hitting 286 PKR.

It's a pretty clear picture of long-term currency depreciation. Makes you think about what's been driving these changes over the decades. Economic policy, inflation, external shocks - it all adds up.