Most Pakistanis Find India Greater Threat than Taliban


China it said continues to receive high marks in Pakistan. Nine-in-ten Pakistanis consider China a partner; only two percent say it is more of an enemy.

“Pakistanis and Indians agree that Kashmir should be a priority for their countries. Roughly eight-in-ten Pakistanis and about six-in-ten Indians say it is very important to resolve the dispute over Kashmir,” the report said.

The survey also revealed that Pakistanis disapprove of the U.S. military operation that killed Osama bin Laden. Though al-Qaida leader bin Laden has not been well-liked in recent times, a majority of Pakistanis describe his death as a bad thing, with only 14 percent saying it is a good thing.

Furthermore, many Pakistanis also believed the U.S. raid on Bin Laden's hideout, which was located about 35 miles from Islamabad, will have a negative impact on the already strained relations between the U.S. and their country.

The poll also pointed out that concerns among Pakistanis about an extremist takeover and support for using military force against extremist groups are slipping, but the groups themselves remain widely unpopular.

Just 12 percent of Pakistanis have a positive view of al-Qaida, down from 18 percent in 2010. It was also noted that only 12 percent gave the Taliban a favorable rating with both Pakistan based Tehrik-i-Taliban and the Afghan Taliban getting similarly low levels of support. But there is somewhat more support for Pakistan based Lashkar-e-Taiba group held responsible for the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Presently, 27 percent have a positive opinion of the terror outfit.

The survey also highlighted that more name Pakistan as India's biggest threat (45 percent) than name Lashkar-e-Taiba (19 percent) or Naxalites (16 percent).

(With agency inputs)