ISLAMABAD: The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is heading towards securing another five-year term after the general elections of 2018, said a report published in a leading London-based weekly magazine The Economist.
The report said that PML-N would win the elections as it was buoyed by infrastructure investments and a fairly smooth economic trajectory. The ruling party also enjoyed the advantages of incumbency, it added.
However, the report observed that the business environment would remain difficult and the journey towards reforms would progress slowly. Nevertheless, the economy would respond to the relative stability in Pakistan and would maintain a healthy growth, it added.
The report further said that the rupee was on the verge of depreciation, but the process would be delayed until after the election. Pakistan’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth was 5.5 per cent, GDP per head was $1,661, inflation was at 3.8 per cent, the budget balance was -4.6 per cent of GDP and population of the country was 200.8 million, it added.
The report further said that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) would remain ineffective in the next general elections.