Country’s July-March budget deficit at 4.5pc of GDP

KARACHI: Pakistan's budget deficit for the first nine months of the 2010/11 fiscal year (July-June) was 4.5 percent of gross domestic product, the Finance Ministry said on its web site on Tuesday.

Pakistan said in March it aimed to keep the budget deficit to less than 5.5 percent of GDP for the year ending on June 30.

The International Monetary Fund and Pakistan have agreed to a target of 5.3 percent of GDP, according to officials involved in negotiations.