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Pakistan is asking Iran and Saudi Arabia for economic assistance -- which could come with political strings attached.

Pakistan is asking Iran and Saudi Arabia to supply it with crude oil on a deferred payment basis in order to alleviate some of the pressure on Islamabad’s balance of payments, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Oct. 10.

The Pakistani state is veering toward bankruptcy. According to official central bank statistics, Pakistan has $8.1 billion in foreign currency. With forward liabilities included, however, Pakistan’s actual reserves are hovering around $3 billion. That is only about enough cash for Pakistan to buy essentials such as crude oil and food for the next 30 days.

It then comes as little surprise that Pakistan is asking its Persian Gulf neighbors for assistance in trying to avoid complete economic collapse. Saudi Arabia sells Pakistan 110,000 barrels of crude oil per day, roughly one third of Pakistan’s total oil imports. In August, Pakistan’s oil import bill soared to $585.2 million. Crude oil prices are now on the decline, but even with a break in price, Pakistan is still in dire economic straits.