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Islamabad: Pakistanis favour negotiating with Taliban militants rather than fighting them and hold their US allies in the war on terror most responsible for violence in the country, according to a poll released on Friday.
The results show strong public support for the new government's policy of seeking peace with the militants, despite US concerns that a letup in military pressure will allow the Taliban and Al Qaida to operate freely in the lawless tribal regions along the Afghan border.
The poll by the Washington-based group Terror Free Tomorrow also shows that three-quarters of respondents want US-backed President Pervez Musharraf to resign or be impeached and that the popularity of his chief critic, Nawaz Sharif, is soaring.
The poll surveyed 1,306 adult Pakistanis in face-to-face interviews in rural and urban areas across the country between May 25 and June 1. It had a 3 per cent margin of error.
While Musharraf relied more on force in dealing with the militants, the coalition government elected in February has chosen to negotiate with the Taliban through tribal elders. It denies talking with "terrorists" and says any deal will force out foreign fighters. The poll found 58 per cent of respondents support talks with the Pakistani Taliban, while 19 per cent want the government to fight them. About 50 per cent wanted talks with Al Qaida.
Frontline ally
The poll also reveals pervasive anti-US sentiment here nearly seven years after Musharraf made Pakistan a frontline ally of Washington's war on terror. Although there are no US combat forces based here, 52 per cent of Pakistanis hold the United States most responsible for the violence in the country, compared with just 8 per cent who blame Al Qaida and 4 per cent who blame the Pakistani Taliban.
Some 73 per cent say the real purpose of the war on terror is to weaken the Muslim world and dominate Pakistan. Only 12 per cent say they would support unilateral action against Taliban and Al Qaida militants in Pakistan by the US military, which has more than 30,000 troops in neighbouring Afghanistan.
The poll was taken before a recent US air strike killed 11 Pakistani border troops, likely deepening anti-American sentiment.
Osama Bin Laden's approval rating spiked to 34 per cent from 24 per cent in January, according to the poll. But that was still below the 46 per cent the Al Qaida leader garnered in last August.
However, most Pakistanis generally view extremists and their leaders negatively, with only 19 per cent of respondents approving of top Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud and 62 per cent opposing the presence of Arab and Uzbek Al Qaida fighters in the country.
The poll also reaffirmed Musharraf's political difficulties, with the former army leader registering a 73 per cent unfavourable rating. Following elections won by his critics, Musharraf has taken a back seat in politics, but has resisted pressure to resign.
Sharif - a former prime minister and Musharraf's top critic - emerged as the most popular politician, with 86 per cent approval, up from 74 per cent in January. His party, which is demanding Musharraf's impeachment, would emerge as the clear winner in a national election with 42 per cent support, according to the poll.
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