ISLAMABAD: The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is headingtowards securing another five-year term after the general elections of2018, said a report published in a leading London-based weekly magazine TheEconomist.

The report said that PML-N would win the elections as it was buoyed byinfrastructure investments and a fairly smooth economic trajectory. Theruling party also enjoyed the advantages of incumbency, it added.

However, the report observed that the business environment would remaindifficult and the journey towards reforms would progress slowly.Nevertheless, the economy would respond to the relative stability inPakistan 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 grossdomestic 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 GDPand population of the country was 200.8 million, it added.

The report further said that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and PakistanTehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) would remain ineffective in the next generalelections.