Mishaal Arshad C.M Underground News
- Pakistani rupee continues to slide against US dollar.
- “Political uncertainty is weakening market sentiment,” says analyst.
- Fears have risen about Pakistan’s stuttering economy.
KARACHI: The Pakistani rupee hit an all-time low against the US dollar Monday during intraday trade in the interbank market, Geo News reported, as the political crisis in the country deepens.
The rupee slumped to 230 during intraday trade, as compared to its rate of 228.37, according to the data from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).
Fears have risen about Pakistan’s stuttering economy as its currency fell nearly 8% against the US dollar in the last trading week, while the country’s forex reserves stand below $10 billion with inflation at the highest in more than a decade.
In a recent presentation to international investors, the acting governor of Pakistan’s central bank, Murtaza Syed, said: “Markets are responding to these shocks in an unfairly broad-brush way, without paying enough attention to Pakistan’s relative strengths.”
In a statement to Geo.tv, Muhammad Saad Ali, a capital market expert, said that the rise in political uncertainty — of whether the present government will remain in office long enough to stabilise the economy and the continued confusion around who governs the Punjab province — is causing the rupee to slip.
“Note that BoP (balance of payments) pressures on the currency have eased, as per the SBP, which asserts that Pakistan has enough capital commitments for the next 12 mths to take care of its dollar outflows,” he said.
“I reiterate political uncertainty is weakening market sentiment and leading to more PKR depreciation,” Ali added.
