LAHORE: The Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Pakistan plunged by 51.7 per cent to $1.376 billion during the first 10 months of current fiscal year, i.e. July to April, as compared to FDI of $2.849 billion reported in the corresponding period last year.

According to the latest data released by State Bank of Pakistan, the FDI for the month of April-19 amounted to $101.8 million, which is lower by 42.6 per cent as compared to $177.5 million reported in March 2019 and 55.2 per cent as compared to $227.5 million reported in April-18.

The highest contribution during the period Jul-Apr (FY19) came in from the construction sector, whose net inflows amounted to $386.8 million. The financial business sector took the second lead as its net inflows totaled $256.5 million for the same period. The third in line was Oil & Gas Exploration sector, whose FDI contribution equaled around $287.3 million.

Nonetheless, the Oil & Gas Exploration sector emerged as the top performer when it came to monthly performance, as it contributed nearly $34 million to the FDI. This was followed by Power Sector which contributed around $12.9 million to the national kitty.