87 percent Pakistanis against ‘religious’ suicide attacks : Poll

October 5th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Fifty-one percent or one out of two Pakistanis think that President Asif Ali Zardari is a popular politician, while 47 percent oppose it, a new survey has revealed. Zardari's visit to the US was favoured by only 33 per cent of the respondents and opposed by 60 per cent, according to the Democracy International and Public Poll International survey.

October 1st, 2009 NEW YORK - Notwithstanding the huge monetary assistance that the United States is planning for Pakistan to help the troubled nation fight extremism and reduce anti-America sentiments, a majority of Pakistanis are still against the US being a partner in Islamabad's fight against terrorism. According to a survey conducted by the International Republican Institute, a Washington based group, about 80 percent of Pakistanis are against the US assistance in Pakistan's fight against terrorism.

August 14th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Most Pakistanis hate the Taliban as much as they consider United States as their enemy, a recent opinion poll has reveled. According to Pew Global Attitudes poll about 70 percent of Pakistanis are now against the Taliban's violent policies.

August 14th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Concerned over a new public opinion poll in Pakistan showing that 64 percent Pakistanis see America as the enemy, Defence Secretary Robert Gates says the US must maintain relationships with Pakistan for the long term to build trust. The poll saying only 9 percent of Pakistanis see the US as a partner is disturbing to defence leaders, but not surprising, he said during a Pentagon news conference Thursday.

July 1st, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Most Pakistanis consider the Taliban and Al Qaeda militants as threat to the country, but still do not regard the US and President Barack Obama as friends, a poll showed Wednesday. The poll conducted by the Programme on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland last month found that those considering actions of militants as dangerous for Pakistan rose from 34 percent to 81 percent since late 2007.

June 17th, 2009 LAHORE - After claiming the responsibility for carrying out the suicide attack on Jamia Naeemia here, in which the country's top religious scholar Dr. Sarfraz Naeemi was killed, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has now warned of more such strikes against other important religious leaders in the country.

June 13th, 2009 PESHAWAR - The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for Friday's serial suicide attacks on two mosques in Nowshera and Lahore. It had also took responsibility for the Pearl Continental Hotel bombing in Peshawar, saying more such attacks would be carried out in future against all those who oppose their decree.

June 13th, 2009 LAHORE - The Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, who himself has apparently been involved in a number terrorist attacks, has condemned Friday's suicide attacks on a mosque in Lahore in which Pakistan's top religious scholar, Dr Sarfraz Naeemi Al-Azhari was killed. In an apparent bid to gain public sympathy and represent himself as a humanitarian leader, Saeed denounced the terrorist attack, terming it as an 'inhumane' and 'un-Islamic' act.

June 6th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Six in 10 Pakistanis believe that their political parties are highly or very highly corrupt. According to a new survey carried out by Gallup Pakistan, political parties (60 percent) were public's perception of corruption, followed by parliament (57 percent) and private/business sector (41 percent).

June 3rd, 2009 ISLAMABAD - A majority of Pakistanis oppose the idea of India and Pakistan jointly producing films and shows, a Gallup survey has revealed. The support for such combined media productions has fallen drastically since 2007 due to escalating security tensions between both the countries.

May 12th, 2009 NEW YORK - Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari's recent claim that he does not consider India as a threat to his country, is not at all supported by a majority of Pakistanis, an opinion poll has shown. According Washington based International Republican Institute poll, there is an intriguing split in attitude towards India, with 45 percent favourable towards India, and 52 percent unfavourable.

May 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD - As many as 42 percent Pakistanis -- nearly every other citizen of the country -- hold India responsible for the Nov 26 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, according to a new opinion poll. 'When asked if they believed it to be true that the attacks were carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), only seven percent replied yes, another seven percent replied maybe, and 78 percent said no.

May 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD - As many as 42 percent Pakistanis -- nearly every other citizen of the country -- hold India responsible for the Nov 26 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, according to a new opinion poll. 'When asked if they believed it to be true that the attacks were carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), only seven percent replied yes, another seven percent replied maybe, and 78 percent said no.

May 12th, 2009 NEW YORK - Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari may have 'impressed' the United States by announcing an all out war against the Taliban and other extremists in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), but he does not seem to have much support back home, as only 19 percent of Pakistanis approve of his move. According to an opinion poll released by the Washington based International Republican Institute, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has emerged stronger than Zardari, in the current volatile situation, as 75 percent of Pakistanis support him.

April 6th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The Taliban have threatened that they would 'carry out two bombings a week within Pakistan' in retaliation to the US drone attacks. Hakimullah Mehsud, a deputy to Baitullah Mehsud who is the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, said in a telephone interview Sunday that the Taliban were responsible for the suicide attacks in Pakistan's Islamabad and Chakwal, the New York Times reported.