In the beginning of 1972 Pakistan broke with the Commonwealth after an association of nearly 25 years. Apart from the political implications that formed the basis of this decision and that may follow from it, there are certain economic factors which merit attention.

As the recent struggles connected with the readjustment of exchange rates within the European Monetary System have shown, the relatively unproblematic "running in" period of the EMS, which was supposed to be a constructive contribution to the creation of a more viable international monetary...