CRS: Pakistan's Capital Crisis: Implications for U.S. Policy, November 21, 2008
Wikileaks release: February 2, 2009
Publisher: United States Congressional Research Service
Title: Pakistan's Capital Crisis: Implications for U.S. Policy
CRS report number: RS22983
Author(s): Michael F. Martin and K. Alan Kronstadt, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division
Date: November 21, 2008
- Pakistan - a key U.S. ally in global efforts to combat Islamist militancy - is in urgent need of an estimated $4 billion in capital to avoid defaulting on its sovereign debt. The elected government of President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani is seeking short-term financial assistance from a number of sources, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), China, and an informal group of nations (including the United States) known as the "Friends of Pakistan." The Pakistani government reportedly has reservations about conditions on the assistance, expressing concerns that the conditions may create political and economic problems. The current crisis has placed some strain on U.S.-Pakistan relations.