Pakistani authorities Saturday hoped that Islamabad would sign a deal for additional deposits of $2 billion from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) after Eid ul Fitr. The deposits are crucial for the struggling economy as the federal government is desperate to seek external financing to shore up the foreign exchange reserves, which sit at a mere $4.3 billion as of April 14. A top government official told The News that the State Bank of Pakistan would sign a deal with the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) soon after Eid for an additional $2 billion deposit.He added the KSA had confirmed bilateral assistance support to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which was also acknowledged by the lender’s staff. This agreement is the follow-up on the confirmation of additional financial support of $2 billion and $1 billion from KSA and the UAE, he added. Official sources clarified that Pakistan neither made any fresh request for more support from the KSA nor the UAE, except for the already confirmed $2 billion and $1 billion by these countries, respectively. Saudi Arabia had already rolled over $3 billion in deposits for one year, which matured on December 5, 2022. This $3 billion deposit is part of foreign exchange reserves of $4.43 billion, lying with the State Bank of Pakistan.