Entertainment
Trade deficit up 25% to $25bn in 8 months
- Official data shows rising strain on external account balance.
- Imports climb 8.1% to $45.5bn in July-February FY26 period.
- Economists warn deficit may pressure rupee and reserves.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s merchandise trade deficit surged by 25% year-on-year to reach $25 billion during the first eight months of the current fiscal year, as imports remained more than twice the value of exports.
The latest official figures released on Monday underscored mounting pressure on the country’s external account, signalling renewed stress on its balance of payments position, The News reported.
Figures released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics showed imports during July-February FY26 rose 8.1% to $45.5 billion, while exports dropped 7.3% to $20.46bn, leaving the import bill more than double the country’s goods sales abroad.
The gap continued to widen in February 2026, with the monthly trade deficit expanding 4.6% year-on-year to $2.98bn. Exports fell 8.76% from a year earlier to $2.27bn, while imports reduced 1.6% to $5.25bn.
On a month-on-month basis, the slowdown was sharper. February exports plunged 25.6% from January’s $3.05bn, while imports declined 9.5% from $5.8bn.
The services sector offered limited relief. The services trade deficit widened 14% to $2.07bn in July-January FY26, compared with $1.82bn a year earlier, even as exports rose 18.78% to $5.66bn. Services imports climbed 17.5% to $7.7bn over the same period.
In January alone, the services deficit grew 5.1% year-on-year to $304.8 million. Services exports jumped 31% to $885m, but imports outpaced at $1.189bn, up 23.3%.
In the last fiscal year (FY25), the services trade deficit had narrowed 15.8% to $2.62bn, driven by a 9.2% rise in services exports to $8.4bn, compared with a modest 2% increase in imports to $11bn.
Economists say the expanding goods deficit, driven by subdued export momentum and resilient import demand, could strain foreign exchange reserves and keep pressure on the rupee unless export competitiveness improves or import compression deepens.
A 5.5-magnitude earthquake jolted Islamabad, Peshawar and several parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday, the Seismological Centre data showed.
The tremors were also felt in Swat, Hangu, North Waziristan and Chitral, while residents Rawalpindi experienced the shaking as well.
The seismological centre said the earthquake was moderate level, measured 5.5 in magnitude and occurred at a depth of 199 kilometres.
It added that the epicentre was located in the Koh Hindu Kush region.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
— This is a developing story and is being updated with additional details.
Li Jun Li is heading to the post-apocalypse.
The Sinners breakout star has been cast in season three of HBO’s The Last of Us, Deadline has confirmed, playing Miriam, a Seraphite and the mother of Lev and Yara.
Li came to widespread attention for her critically acclaimed performance as Grace Chow in Ryan Coogler’s Oscar-winning Sinners.
Her casting joins previously announced additions Michelle Mao, from Bridgerton, and Kyriana Kratter, who will play siblings Yara and Lev respectively.
Season three will adapt the second half of the Part II video game, shifting the central focus to Abby, played by Kaitlyn Dever.
It marks a significant change of direction from the first two seasons, which followed Joel, played by Pedro Pascal, and Ellie, played by Bella Ramsey, as they navigated a world destroyed by a fungal outbreak twenty years earlier.
Season two picked up five years after the original, drawing the pair into new and more unpredictable conflict.
Craig Mazin, who co-created the series alongside the game’s Neil Druckmann and served as co-showrunner on the first two seasons, takes sole showrunner duties for season three.
For Li, the role continues what is shaping up to be a strong run of high-profile projects.
She is also set to appear opposite Nicolas Cage in the live-action series Spider-Noir, which premieres on Prime Video on 27 May.
David Harbour has joined the cast of John Rambo, the origin story prequel to the iconic Sylvester Stallone franchise, taking on the role of Major Trautman, Rambo’s commanding officer and the closest thing the one-man fighting force has ever had to a calming influence.
The Stranger Things star is a late addition to the film, which wrapped production in Thailand in March.
In the original Rambo trilogy of the 1980s, the role of Trautman was played by Richard Crenna.
Harbour steps into those shoes for a story set before the events of First Blood, following a young John Rambo, played by Noah Centineo, as a soldier fighting in the jungle, years before he becomes the stoic loner audiences came to know.
The film is directed by Jalmari Helander, the Finnish filmmaker behind the Sisu movies, known for their brutal and uncompromising action.
It is another high-profile addition to what is shaping up to be a very busy period for Harbour.
He is currently receiving strong notices for his role as Floyd Smernitch in DTF St. Louis, has Avengers: Doomsday in post-production, and is also working on Violent Night 2, Evil Genius and Lionsgate’s A Head Full of Ghosts.
He previously worked with AGBO on Extraction, making John Rambo a reunion of sorts with the production company.
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