Karachi: Pakistan’s current account deficit has swelled by 91 percent in the first five months of the current fiscal year 2016-17 mainly due to increasing imports bills and declining inflows of foreign exchange from exports receipts and workers’ remittances. According to statistics released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the current account deficit has widened to $2.601 billion in the period of July to November 2016 as compared to $1.362 billion deficit registered in the similar period of the last fiscal year. During the last five months of current fiscal the exports decline by 1.3 percent to $8.7 billion against $8.8 billion worth of goods exporter in the same period last year. The data shows that the imports increased by 5.5 percent during the same period. Thus the balance of trade in goods was recorded at $8.6 billion against $7.5 billion of 5 months of the last fiscal year. The services sector’s exports also suffer by $1.3 billion as exports were recorded at $2 billion while imports stood at $3.4 billion. Services sector’s deficit in the last fiscal was $996 million. The accumulated balance of goods and services stood at $10 billion against $8.5 billion of the same period last year. The workers’ remittances also suffered by 2.8 percent to $7.8 billion from $8 billion sent last year. The current account, broadest measure of trade, covers flows of goods, services and investment. The current account is an important indicator of economy’s health. Keeping in view the swelling current account deficit, experts call for reviewing country’s trade policy. The exports from Pakistan are continuously declining causing major dent to the national economy. “The country should instantly ban imports of goods that are already being manufactured in Pakistan”, demanded Dr Ather Ahmed, one of the three Pakistani PhDs in International Marketing. What should be allowed to be imported and what should be banned should be the determined in trade policy rather than in budgets, Dr Ahmed suggested.