Pakistani popular support: Army grabs top position: IRI survey

[Naveed Yaseen]

ISLAMABAD (October 19 2009): Pakistan army has grabbed top position for people support while the National Assembly got second in a row over the performances of different government institutions during a survey conducted by International Republican Institute (IRI) in different parts of the country.

The army support has increased after Malakand operation as 89 percent persons have said that armed forces are doing well while the graph of police department is declining continuously as compared to previous survey, which stands on 34 percent.

The survey was conducted by International Republican Institute (IRI), a US institute that maps the people opinions about their government performances in different fields. In the survey, IRI interviewed 4900 people across the country, 66 percent from urban areas and 34 percent from cities while Fata, Chitral and Kohistan were not included.

About the National Assembly, 68 percent people expressed their satisfactions with its performance while it was 72 percent in the previous survey. Fifty percent people are praising the performance of the recent government and 55 percent people support the opposition side in this regard. About the performance of judiciary, 69 percent people expressed their satisfaction while it was 68 in the previous survey.

According to above statistics, Pak army remained on top, National Assembly on second position while the government and police performance convinced lesser number.

To a question, who has the ability to address the problems faced by the country, 51 percent people supported Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif; President Asif Ali Zardari, 13 percent; Imran Khan, 8 percent; Makhdoom Amin Fahim and Pervez Musharraf, 3 percent; Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Bilawal Bhutto and Altaf Hussain 2 percent; Qazi Hussain Ahmad, Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman and Asfandyar Wali, got only one percent vote. Four percent people gave no response while 2 percent said that no one was able to resolve the country's problems.

About the economic conditions of the common people, 72 percent said that their economic conditions were further worsened as compared to previous year, which was 63 percent in previous survey while 13 people claimed some improvement.

Fourteen percent said that their economic conditions were not harmed by the recent price hike. About security, 69 percent people termed the recent year insecure while 28 percent people claimed it more secure than last year.

Forty percent people said that inflation was a main problem of the country while 20 percent termed unemployment as question mark. Thirteen percent said that terrorism was the main trouble, 11 percent water and power, 8 percent poverty, 3 percent law and order situation while only one percent described the education as the big problem faced by the country.

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