KARACHI: Despite authorities’ best efforts, there is a dire shortage of dollars in the open market, and many currency exchanges are “only selling what they buy”, causing consternation among those planning to travel abroad for the holidays, or in the new year.

Visits to multiple exchange outlets across different parts of the metropolis revealed that currency dealers are facing a dearth of greenbacks in their accounts. Some have stopped selling dollars altogether, while others are rationing their supply, only allowing customers to purchase up to $100 at a time.

In addition, a small number of exchanges only have old-design dollar notes in stock. These are not of much use to travellers who wish to exchange greenbacks for the local currency of their destination.

As a result, a number of passengers have been forced to purchase exotic foreign currencies in Pakistan, leading to them getting a ‘bad deal’ in terms of the exchange rate.

One such passenger, who was travelling to Malaysia at the end of November, told Dawn that they were unable to buy dollars at the airport, which........

© Dawn Business