The Pakistan stamps were initially printed in 1947 when India was divided into two countries. The initial stamps were Indian King George VI stamps overprinted "PAKISTAN". Most were overprinted at Nasik, but a number of local overprints exist. I have a few on the attached pages.

Actual Pakistan stamps were printed in Karachi beginning in 1948 on unwatermarked paper. Many of the designs were in use until they were replaced in 1961. However, the 25R stamp was actually in use in 1968 when it was reprinted on paper watermarked Multiple Star and Crescents. This is a very interesting set to collect because there are a number of perforation varieties, and even some design changes. The design change involved stamps showing the star and crescent. Initially they were printed showing the alignment incorrectly on the 1a, 1-1/2a, 2a, 3a, 6a, 8a, 10a, and 12a issues. This was corrected in 1949 when they were redrawn. See the images below for reference.

The pages are from my collection, and are identified by the Commonwealth, Gibbons, and Scott numbers in that order. The page images were scanned in a larger size and at a higher resolution so you can more easily see the details used in viewing them. Feel free to select the page and let it download to your screen and save it to your hard drive for viewing. If you are using a PC, selecting the page will typically open it in Microsoft Photo Viewer (or whatever you are using as your default). From there you can enlarge the size for more close-up viewing. If you are using a phone - go find a PC or a Mac. The images are 1200 pixels wide and you will go mad trying to view them on your phone.

Please be patient if it takes a few minutes for each page to load.

This article was written to help you identify your stamps.
Please feel free to ask a question, or suggest a correction.