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| 74 percent of Pakistanis call U.S. an enemy |
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The Pew survey, released on Wednesday, said that last year 69 percent used to hate the U.S. but in 2012 the figure jumped to 74 percent.
The survey also showed an exceptionally low regard for U.S. President Barack Obama among Pakistanis. They believe Obama is as bad a leader as former U.S. President George W. Bush had been during his final year in office.
U.S.-Pakistan relations have been strained over the civilian casualties caused by the non-UN-sanctioned U.S. drone attacks, and over a number of other issues.
Under intense public pressure, Islamabad closed the border crossings used to transfer NATO supplies to U.S.-led forces occupying Afghanistan in November 2011 after 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed in U.S.-led airstrikes on two checkpoints on the Afghan border.
Thousands of Pakistanis have lost their lives in bombings and other militant attacks since the US-led war in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001. The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but it also unleashed forces of extremism and terrorism in neighboring Pakistan.
High marks for Khan, low ratings for Zardari
The Pew Global Attitudes Project survey also showed that former cricket star Imran Khan has remained the most popular politician in the country. More than 70 percent of the people offer a favorable opinion of Khan, who leads Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice or PTI). This is basically unchanged from last year, but up considerably from 2010.
Khan’s stance on U.S. war on terror, which he calls a war of terror, his strong views on CIA’s drone attacks in Pakistan’s northwest tribal region, which the U.S. has been carrying out since 2008, his struggle for the rule of law, justice, equality, and the eradication of corruption, have endeared the PTI leader to the people of Pakistan.
Approval ratings of President Asif Ali Zardari and his Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) have plunged badly. Only 14 percent view Zardari favorably, down drastically from 64 percent in 2008.
Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is also generally well-regarded – about six-in-ten offer a positive view of the leader of the country’s main opposition party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). Sharif has consistently received high marks in recent years, although his ratings are down somewhat from the 79 percent registered in 2009.
Slightly more than half rate Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry favorably. Ratings for both the army chief and the chief justice have slipped slightly since 2010. Former President (and military chief) Pervez Musharraf, who has occasionally suggested he may return to Pakistani politics, receives relatively poor ratings.
Meanwhile, the military continues to receive overwhelmingly positive marks from the Pakistani public – 77 percent say the institution is having a good influence on the country. Roughly six-in-ten (58 percent) also say this about the court system.
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| Last Updated on 29 June 2012 17:25 | |||
