WASHINGTON: According to a Bloomberg Economics analysis, Pakistan’s economy performed best during the last three decades during Nawaz Sharif’s administration – he ruled the country three times.
The analysis discovered that Sharif’s PML-N outperformed Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) using a misery index, which informally quantifies an economy’s status by adding inflation and unemployment rates.
“Bloomberg Economics calculated an average of index values for the years when each of the major political parties ruled the country since 1990. A higher rating signifies greater economic suffering for citizens, according to the journal.
According to Bloomberg, Nawaz appears to be poised to assume power following the fourth round of general elections on February 8, with Khan imprisoned and mired in legal proceedings.
Despite being in jail, Khan remains Pakistan’s most popular politician, with a 57% approval rating according to a Gallup opinion poll. Meanwhile, Nawaz’s popularity rose from 36% to 52% during the last six months.
“The public may be giving Sharif the benefit of the doubt,” Ankur Shukla of Bloomberg Economics stated in the report, adding that the “road ahead won’t be easy for any party that wins the election” given the high inflation and unemployment rate.
