Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Pakistan facing bankruptcy

From The Telegraph:
Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves are so low that the country can only afford one month of imports and faces possible bankruptcy.

Officially, the central bank holds $8.14 billion (£4.65 billion) of foreign currency, but if forward liabilities are included, the real reserves may be only $3 billion - enough to buy about 30 days of imports like oil and food.

Nine months ago, Pakistan had $16 bn in the coffers.

The government is engulfed by crises left behind by Pervez Musharraf, the military ruler who resigned the presidency in August. High oil prices have combined with endemic corruption and mismanagement to inflict huge damage on the economy....MORE

Some of our previous posts on Pakistan (the first one has an interesting video):

Pakistan: Doubts cast on Zardari’s mental health

Pakistani Investors Stone Karachi Exchange as Stocks Plunge (But We Outlawed Short-Selling!)

Iran nuclear crisis puts Delhi and Mumbai at risk

What exactly is the worst climate in the world?