Nawaz Sharif More Popular Than Imran Khan In Pakistan; India Top Threat: U.S. Survey

WASHINGTON: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is more popular than cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan in Pakistan despite facing pressure to resign, according to a U.S. survey which indicates that the ongoing demonstrations are hardly reflective of the views of most Pakistanis.

Sixty-four percent of Pakistanis have a favorable opinion of Sharif, essentially unchanged from the 66 per cent who expressed this view in a survey conducted weeks before his election victory last year, the Pew Research said.

However, as a result of the weeks of protest by Khan in Islamabad which is being attended by thousands of people, the mood of the people of Pakistan is not that great.

Protesters have been camping for more than a week to force Sharif's resignation.

Popularity rating of the powerful Army has also increased as a result of the months of chaos, the Pew Research said as it released details of its latest survey.

About a third (32 percent) give him an unfavourable rating, Pew said.

Khan also receives more positive (53 percent) than negative (24 percent) reviews, although his ratings have slipped by 17 percentage points over the past two years, the Pew said.

Meanwhile, the country's military, always a key player in Pakistan's politics, receives stunningly high ratings.

Fully 87 percent say the military is having a good influence on the nation, up from an already high 79 per cent in 2013, it added.

While most Pakistanis remain unhappy with the country's direction, the public mood is more positive than it has been in recent years.

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