• Posts $324m deficit in April against $1.134bn surplus in March • Oil import bill jumps 82pc in April to $1.791bn • Food, luxury imports major contributors to widening gap KARACHI: A sharp rise in the oil import bill and persistently high imports of food and luxury goods pushed the current account back into deficit in April, wiping out the $1 billion-plus surplus recorded a month earlier and putting renewed pressure on the country’s balance of payments. The State Bank’s latest data showed the current account posted a deficit of $324 million in April against a surplus of $1.134bn in March, leaving little chance for improvement in the balance of payments ahead of the close of the fiscal year on June 30, 2026. The deficit in April stood at $324m.