What Happened In an attempt to manage economic concerns, Pakistan's government has garnered much-needed financial assistance from Saudi Arabia. Islamabad hopes that an influx of cash will help avert a payments crisis caused by the country's high trade deficit. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry announced Oct. 23 that Prime Minister Imran Khan had secured $6 billion in debt relief from Saudi Arabia while attending the Foreign Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh, where he met with Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The package includes $3 billion in foreign currency support for one year and allows Pakistan to defer up to $3 billion in oil payments for three years. Background Shoring up Pakistan's dwindling reserves of foreign currency is Khan's most serious macroeconomic challenge .