Most Pakistanis want Musharraf to give up dual role
Staff Report
LAHORE: Most Pakistanis feel that General Pervez Musharraf should not continue with both his offices of army chief and president at the same time, according to a poll conducted by the US-based International Republican Institute (IRI).
Some 56 percent of respondents said Gen Musharraf should not hold both offices, while around 30 percent favoured him continuing in both posts. The opposition to the president’s dual role increased by around 26 percent compared with the IRI’s June 2006 survey on the same question. The president then enjoyed the support of 49 percent of respondents.
To the question of whether Gen Musharraf should be re-elected president by the current parliament, around 48 percent of respondents disagreed with the idea while 43 percent favoured it. Besides, 42 percent of the respondents said that the ruling coalition’s performance was not good enough for them to warrant re-election.
The survey was released on Thursday and was conducted from February 12 to March 7, 2007, questioning 3,997 adult men and women from around 256 villages and 144 urban locations in 65 districts in all four provinces of the country.
Some 54.2 percent of respondents said they approved of the way Gen Musharraf was doing his job, but this was nine percent less than in the previous survey in September 2006. In Punjab, his support dropped 22 percent, as only 54 percent of Punjab residents questioned in the poll thought that he was handling his job properly, as compared to 76 percent in the previous survey. Support for the president was strongest in Sindh (60.6 percent) and Balochistan (61 percent).
To the question of which leader could effectively handle Pakistan’s problems, 32 percent of respondents said Gen Musharraf was the most suitable leader, followed by Benazir Bhutto (25.4 percent) and Nawaz Sharif (15.1 percent). Less than five percent of respondents considered all other political leaders - including Altaf Hussain, Imran Khan, Qazi Hussain Ahmed and Maulana Fazlur Rehman - as leaders who could solve their problems. Province-wise, Gen Musharraf gained 48.4 percent support from Balochistan, Benazir Bhutto 56 percent from Sindh, and Nawaz Sharif 23 percent from Punjab. Most agreed that Benazir Bhutto (65 percent) and Nawaz Sharif (63.3 percent) should be allowed to return to Pakistan. More than 50 percent of Pakistan Muslim League voters also favoured the exiled leaders’ return.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\04\27\story_27-4-2007_pg7_23
Would be interesting to see a similar poll conducted after the judicial coup :hmmm:
