Majority of Pakistanis support military action in Waziristan: poll
Majority of Pakistanis support military action in Waziristan: poll
21:17, November 03, 2009 
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51 percent of Pakistanis support the military action in the South Waziristan tribal region and only13 percent oppose the move, according to an opinion poll on Tuesday.
The poll conducted by Gallup Pakistan last week shows that a significant 36 percent are unsure.
According to this survey, there is a cautious support in the Pakistani public opinion for the military action currently underway in South Waziristan against the Taliban.
While a majority of people support the military action against the Taliban insurgency, only a small number of 25 percent hold them responsible for the crisis that has called for military action, the remaining blame on America and Pakistan's own government and politicians, almost equally slapped on the two of them: 35 percent on the United States and 31 percent on Pakistani government and politicians, eight percent put the blame on the Pakistani army and one percent did not respond.
When asked will the military action bring peace to the area and improve the situation, public opinion is sharply divided on this question: 36 percent believe the situation will improve, 37 percent believe it will further deteriorate, while the remaining 27 percent say they are unsure.
The sharpest change from previous surveys is on the question of whose war is it, Pakistan's or America's. Public opinion is still divided on the issue but many more consider it Pakistan's own war compared to a year ago. In the latest survey 37 percent consider it Pakistan's own war, 39 percent consider it America's war but 22 percent consider it to be a war in which Pakistan and the U.S. have shared interest and two percent did not answer.
In 2008, only 23 percent considered military action in the north to be Pakistan's own war.
The survey was carried out among a nationally representative sample of more than 2,700 men and women in the rural and urban areas of all four provinces of Pakistan. The sample comprised a cross-section of all age, income, education, and linguistic groups in the country. The error margin for a survey of this kind is +2-3percent at 95 percent confidence level. The field work was done face to face during the last week of October 2009.
Source: Xinhua
The poll conducted by Gallup Pakistan last week shows that a significant 36 percent are unsure.
According to this survey, there is a cautious support in the Pakistani public opinion for the military action currently underway in South Waziristan against the Taliban.
While a majority of people support the military action against the Taliban insurgency, only a small number of 25 percent hold them responsible for the crisis that has called for military action, the remaining blame on America and Pakistan's own government and politicians, almost equally slapped on the two of them: 35 percent on the United States and 31 percent on Pakistani government and politicians, eight percent put the blame on the Pakistani army and one percent did not respond.
When asked will the military action bring peace to the area and improve the situation, public opinion is sharply divided on this question: 36 percent believe the situation will improve, 37 percent believe it will further deteriorate, while the remaining 27 percent say they are unsure.
The sharpest change from previous surveys is on the question of whose war is it, Pakistan's or America's. Public opinion is still divided on the issue but many more consider it Pakistan's own war compared to a year ago. In the latest survey 37 percent consider it Pakistan's own war, 39 percent consider it America's war but 22 percent consider it to be a war in which Pakistan and the U.S. have shared interest and two percent did not answer.
In 2008, only 23 percent considered military action in the north to be Pakistan's own war.
The survey was carried out among a nationally representative sample of more than 2,700 men and women in the rural and urban areas of all four provinces of Pakistan. The sample comprised a cross-section of all age, income, education, and linguistic groups in the country. The error margin for a survey of this kind is +2-3percent at 95 percent confidence level. The field work was done face to face during the last week of October 2009.
Source: Xinhua
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