The State Bank of Pakistan's (SBP) decision to hike its key policy rate by 100 basis points to a 24-year high of 16 per cent has created a new problem for Islamabad as it has to pay a heavy price for borrowing after the rate hike.
Fast deteriorating CDS is signalling the foreign investors that Islamabad is precariously near default. Rather than taking SOS measures for economic revival, Islamabad is still pinning its hope on assistance from Saudi Arabia and China which have dried up in the recent past.