As Pakistan prepares for national elections, the country’s public mood is exceedingly grim. Roughly 9 out 10 Pakistanis believe the country is on the wrong track, and about eight-in-ten say the economy is in poor shape, a survey report said on Friday.
Meanwhile, concerns about extremist groups have increased manifold. More than 9 out 10 Pakistanis describe terrorism as a very serious problem, and about half now say the Taliban is a very serious threat to their country.
While worries about the Taliban are growing, there is almost no desire to see the United States extend its fight against the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan. Two out three Pakistanis say it is a good thing that the US plans to remove most of its troops from Afghanistan by 2014. At the same time, Washington’s use of drones to target extremists in Pakistan is widely unpopular.
Overall, America’s image remains extremely negative in Pakistan; only 11 percent give the US a favorable rating and a similarly low number (10 percent) expressed confidence in President Barack Obama. Today, most Pakistanis (64 percent) see the US as more of an enemy than partner and the percentage of Pakistanis who think having better relations with the US is important has declined in recent years.
Meanwhile, very few Pakistanis say US economic assistance is having a beneficial effect on their country.
Unsurprisingly, given the state of public opinion, incumbent President Asif Ali Zardari receives negative reviews; 83 percent express an unfavorable opinion of him. In contrast, two-thirds have a positive view of opposition leader, and former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif. Six out of ten also have a positive opinion about former cricket star-turned-politician Imran Khan, although Khan’s ratings are down slightly from last year, when 70 percent rated him favorably.
These are among the major findings from a survey of Pakistan by the Pew Research Center. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 1,201 respondents from March 11 to March 31. The sample covers approximately 82 percent of the country’s adult population.
The survey also finds continuing support for the Pakistani military, which for decades has been an important player in the country’s politics. Roughly eight in ten (79 percent) think the military is having a positive influence on the nation.
As has been the case in recent years, extremist groups remain largely unpopular in Pakistan. Just 13 percent expressed a positive view of al Qaeda and 11 percent say this about the Taliban. Lashkar-e-Taiba, a radical organisation active in Kashmir, gets somewhat higher ratings. At least 24 percent have a positive opinion of the group, which had been widely blamed in the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks.
Compared with last year, the percentage who consider the Taliban a very serious threat to Pakistan has increased significantly – 49 percent now hold this view, up from 37 percent. This level of concern approaches the fears registered in a 2009 Pew Research poll. Then, with the Taliban in control of the Swat Valley, which is within 100 miles of the capital Islamabad, 57 percent rated the Taliban a very serious threat.
The level of concern about the Taliban matches the level of worry about neighboring India, with whom Pakistan has fought several major wars since the two countries emerged as independent nations more than six decades ago. Roughly half (52 percent) consider India a very serious threat.
Pakistanis are concerned about a variety of national problems – especially crime and terrorism. At least 95 percent describe crime as a very big problem, and 93 percent said the same about terrorism.
Illegal drugs, political corruption, the situation in Kashmir, pollution, access to clean water and poor quality schools are considered very big problems by at least two-thirds of those polled.
Negative sentiments about the US remain pervasive in Pakistan. About 72 percent people rate America unfavorably. Although negative views of President Obama are somewhat less common than they were two years ago after the killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan by US forces, 52 percent still lack confidence in the American leader.
Only 13 percent think US-Pakistan relations have improved in recent years. About 47 percent said it was important for the relationship to improve, although this was less of a priority for Pakistanis now than it was a few years ago.
Most Pakistanis welcome the US drawdown from Afghanistan. Two-thirds say it is a good thing that most American troops will be gone in 2014.
American drone attacks against extremist leaders are largely unpopular. Roughly 68 percent Pakistanis oppose US drone strikes. Opinions are divided on whether the strikes are being conducted with (29 percent) or without (39 percent) the approval of the Pakistani government.
Similarly, there is division over whether drone attacks may be necessary to defend Pakistan from extremist groups – a third agree with this position, while 40 percent disagree. When asked about the consequences of drone strikes in general, roughly three-in-four (74 percent) said they kill too many innocent people.
Remarkably large majorities believe Pakistan is on the wrong path and that its economy is in poor shape. Worries about crime and terrorism are almost universal, and concerns about political corruption, the situation in Kashmir, environmental challenges and poor education are also widespread.
The military is widely seen as a positive influence on the nation. Religious leaders, the media and the court system also receive high marks. But, as has been true for the past few years, a large swath of the public says the police have a negative impact on the country.
Roughly 91 percent Pakistanis are dissatisfied with the way things are going in their country. Views have been similarly negative since 2009. The last time a majority of Pakistanis were satisfied with the country’s direction was 2005.
Opinions about Pakistan’s economy are also overwhelmingly negative. Roughly eight-in-ten describe economic conditions as bad, although this is actually a slight improvement from last year, when 89 percent said the economy was in poor shape.
And there has been some improvement over the past two years in how Pakistanis see their country’s economic future. Today, they are almost evenly divided between those who think the economy will worsen over the next 12 months (29 percent), those who believe it will improve (26 percent), and people who believe it will remain the same (26 percent).
Nawaz Sharif, head of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party (PML-N), is the most popular leader included on the survey, with a favorable rating from 66 percent of Pakistanis; roughly a quarter (26 percent) view him unfavorably. Sharif is particularly well liked in Punjab province (78 percent).
Imran Khan, leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI), is also popular – 60 percent are positive toward the former cricket star.
Nonetheless, Khan’s ratings have declined from their high point in 2012 and 2011. While Khan’s popularity has decreased across the board, the drop has been especially steep among 18- to 29-year-olds, his strongest supporters in 2012.
