Pakistan's economy performed best in 3 decades under Nawaz Sharif: Bloomberg

• Imran Khan most popular politician with 57% approval rating. 
• “Public may be giving Sharif benefit of the doubt,” says Shukla. 
• Says road ahead won't be easy for upcoming ruling party. 

Pakistan's economy under Nawaz Sharif's premiership — who ruled the country thrice — had the best performance over the past three decades as compared to his rivals' tenures, an analysis by Bloomberg Economics said. 

The report found that Sharif's PML-N scored better than Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) by using a misery index — which informally measures an economy's state by adding its inflation and unemployment rate. 

"Bloomberg Economics used an average of the index values over the respective years when each of the major political parties ruled the country since 1990. A higher value indicates more economic hardship for citizens," said the publication. 

According to Bloomberg, Nawaz looks ready to take power after the general elections slated for February 8 for the fourth time, with Khan being incarcerated and stuck in a quagmire of legal cases. 

However, despite being in jail, Khan is still the most popular politician in Pakistan with an approval rating of 57%, as per a Gallup opinion poll. Meanwhile, Nawaz's popularity increased from 36% to 52% in the past six months. 

“The public may be giving Sharif the benefit of the doubt,” Ankur Shukla of Bloomberg Economics wrote in the report, adding that the "road ahead won’t be easy for any party that wins the election", considering the high inflation and unemployment rate. 

The inflation rate in Pakistan is close to 30% while the rupee performed as the worst in Asia last year with declining foreign exchange reserves. 

Furthermore, the country is seeking a financial bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the upcoming government will have to implement policies — withdrawing subsidies and raising taxes — that will be unpopular with voters. 

The global lender also expects the economy to grow by 2% in the fiscal year.