Pakistan's forex reserves ease to $14.23 bln

KARACHI, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves fell to $14.23 billion in the week that ended on Oct. 31 from $14.43 billion the previous week, the central bank said on Thursday. Reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan were $10.64 billion, down from $10.86 billion a week earlier, while those held by commercial banks rose marginally to $3.59 billion from $3.57 billion the previous week, the central bank said in a statement. Foreign reserves hit a record high of $16.5 billion in October 2007, but fell steadily to $6.6 billion by November last year -- largely because of a soaring import bill. An International Monetary Fund (IMF) emergency loan package of $7.6 billion agreed in November helped avert a balance of payments crisis and shore up reserves. The IMF, which increased the loan to $11.3 billion in July, has disbursed more than $5 billion. Pakistan officials are meeting IMF officials in Dubai to Nov. 12 for a third review of Pakistan's economic performance. (Reporting by Faisal Aziz; Editing by Robert Birsel) (For more Reuters coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan, see: http://www.reuters.com/news/globalcoverage/afghanistanpakistan) (If you have a query or comment about this story, send an e-mail to [e-mail]) FA Keywords: PAKISTAN RESERVES/ (E-mail: [e-mail]; Reuters Messaging: [e-mail]; Karachi newsroom: [phone]) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved.

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