ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW) on Tuesday asked the government to discourage almost all imports due to the ri
se in the half year t
rade deficit to $14.5 billion.
President PEW Dr Murtaza Mughal said that the rate of increa
se in the t
rade deficit had reached an alarming 17.6 per cent. This meant that that the annual t
rade deficit would have easily gone above the target of $20.5 billion.
He added that the deficit for whole year may hit the mark of 25 billion dollars due to falling exports and increased imports.
The president further said that in the month of December exports fell by three per cent while imports grew by 17.6 per cent causing concerns. Overall exports fell by 3.82 p
ercent in the first half while imports climbed by 10.2 per cent to $24.4 billion.
He pointed out that the deficit could be controlled by disco
uraging all imports except th
ose for industrial purposes and for the China Pakistan Economic Corridor.