In the last decade, Pakistan's external debt obligations have
risen to an unprecedented level. This is despite the fact that the
country had been able to borrow on concessional terms from international
organizations and foreign governments unlike many other developing
countries. The situation has raised concern about the viability of the
strategy of excessive dependence on foreign sources and the problems it
poses for sustainable growth. Between 1970 and 1980 Pakistan's external
debt grew at an average rate of 11.3 percent. Althol1gh, during the
Eighties it has grown at a much slower rate, i.e. 2.37 percent, but by
1986-87 the level of total external debt had reached more than 12
billion U.S. dollars. A notable feature of this change has been that
since the mid-Seventies the debt service payments have increased at a
much faster rate compared with the outstanding debt.
Determinants of Debt Problem in Pakistan and its Debt-servicing
Capacity
