KARACHI (Reuters) - The Pakistani rupee gained sharply on Friday to end at a 8-1/2- month high, dealers said. The rupee closed at 84.78/83 to the dollar, up from 85.10/12 on Thursday, the highest close since May 25, 2010. Officials and dealers said a record inflow of remittances, strong foreign exchange reserves positions, healthy exports and a current account surplus were the reason behind the rupee's gain in value in recent days. Remittances by overseas Pakistanis were recorded at $6.12b during the first seven months of fiscal year 2010/11, up 17.70pc from the year-ago period, according to data from the SBP. "Dollar inflows are pretty healthy at the moment, as remittances are rising and export proceeds are also good," said a dealer at a local bank. "I think that the rupee is likely to remain steady in the days ahead - in fact, it can gain a bit further," he said.