At present, the US dollar represents slightly more than 60 per cent of global foreign exchange reserves at central banks, compared to more than 80 per cent in the early 1970s.
Pakistan's economic condition is precarious with low foreign exchange reserves and large fiscal and current account deficits, has further worsened by severe flooding.
According to sources, the development left Pakistan with an import cover of only under a month, as the country grapples with a deteriorating economic crisis while trying to bring down imports amid a dollar shortage.
Pakistan is facing its worst economic crisis since its birth and a grim scenario dodges Islamabad in 2023 amid rising foreign debts, inflation, and falling foreign exchange reserves.
India's foreign exchange reserves fell by USD 691 million to USD 562.808 billion in the week that ended on December 23, Reserve Bank of India's Bulletin Weekly Statistical Supplement latest data showed.
Despite acknowledging that there were problems with the economy, Pakistan's Finance Minister Ishaq Dar assured investors that "there is no way Pakistan is going to default."
The flight of US dollars from Pakistan to Afghanistan continues unabated resulting in the erosion of Islamabad's foreign exchange reserves, reported Dawn.
Breaking the trend of the fifth consecutive week of rising foreign exchange reserves, they fell by USD 571 million to USD 563.499 billion in the week that ended on December 16, Reserve Bank of India's Bulletin Weekly Statistical Supplement data showed on Friday.
India's foreign exchange reserves during the week that ended on December 9 rose by USD 2.91 billion to USD 564.07 billion. Notably, this is the fifth consecutive week of India's rising foreign exchange reserves.
Replying to a question in Lok Sabha, Sitharaman said the Reserve Bank of India has used the available foreign exchange reserves that it had in order to intervene in the markets to make sure that the Dollar-Rupee does not fluctuate too much.