The swelling current account deficit, amongst many economic factors, is one of the primary reasons why there has been speculation about the nation seeking an IMF bailout. The word is that the current account deficit could amount to as much as $16-16.5 billion for FY2017-2018. Add to that the $7-7.5 billion needed for debt servicing, and Pakistan could be negotiating a bailout package by as early as March-April 2018. So the question is, why are we waiting till 2018 to negotiate a bailout package with the IMF? Some suggest Pakistan should have begun negotiations for a bailout package as early as January of this year.

Source: Pakistan Today December 20, 2017 10:52 UTC