Fixing the export challenge

Pakistan earned $30.14 billion from goods exports in the year to June 2026. That was 5.9 per cent less than the $32.04bn of the year before. Over the same twelve months, imports rose 8.1pc to $69.76bn, so exports paid for only 43pc of what the country bought abroad. The trade deficit came to $39.6bn. This is not a one-year slump. The first quarter of this fiscal year shows the same thing. Exports rose 10.8pc to $8.42bn, which is good news. Imports rose 13.2pc to $19.22bn, and the trade deficit grew 15pc to $10.79bn. Exports have stayed in a band of roughly $25bn to $30bn for almost two…