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And Thereby Hangs An Election

53 per cent oppose Benazir's deal with Musharraf

EXCLUSIVE OUTLOOK-GALLUP SURVEY IN FOUR MAJOR CITIES INPAKISTAN

And Thereby Hangs An Election

53 per cent oppose Benazir’s deal with Musharraf

Mutilated bodies, maimed children, weeping mothers.... Ittook one suicide bomber to forever stain the memory of Benazir Bhutto’shomecoming—and punctuate Pakistan’s tragic progress to democracy. The Daughtercame back East, but the collateral damage was too high. Honour vies with shame andcompromise: Musharraf lets Benazir in, but who does democracy strike a deal with to returnto Pakistan? Will the jehadi elements in the Establishment—ever wary of theUS—allow that? Who is conspirator, who the victim?

Who among the following is best suited to be the leader of Pakistan?
Karachi
Lahore
Rawalpindi/
Islamabad
Benazir Bhutto
28
25
23
Nawaz Sharif
9
49
32
Pervez Musharraf
31
7
14
Imran Khan
6
9
13
Qazi Hussain
5
1
5
Fazlur Rehman
3
2
2
Others/DK
18
7
11
We haven’t projected a national picture based on the above findings because it can be statistically misleading. The average might be higher for Sharif, but support for Benazir is even.

Which alliance would you vote for if there is an election tomorrow?
Benazir-led alliance
38
26
28
Nawaz-led alliance
14
57
37
Neither
32
9
25
Will not vote
14
7
7
Sharif’s sway over Punjab is important. This province accounts for 148 seats in the National Assembly as against Sindh’s 61.
Do you support the Benazir-Pervez Musharraf deal?
Yes
35
No
53
DK/CS
12

Do you think the assassination attempt on Benazir will improve her political fortunes?
Yes
41
No
58
DK/CS
1

Do you support Benazir’s suggestion that foreign assistance be taken for the investigation of the Karachi bombings?
Yes
17
No
61
DK/CS
22

Which of these options should Musharraf go for?
Retire from both offices
50
Resign as army chief but remain president
35
Continue as president as well as army chief
14
Don’t know/No response
1

Which of the following two is more important for Pakistan at this time?
Restoration of democracy
69
Crackdown on militants
30
Don't know/No response
1

What do you think is the best means or scenario to curb militancy?
Democracy
52
Army working under an elected civilian government
17
Army and civilian government working as equal partners
10
Army rule
10
Curbing militancy is not a big issue
11

Is Pakistan moving in the right or the wrong direction?
Right
8
Wrong
82
DK/CS
10

Do you think the government was right or wrong in not allowing Nawaz Sharif to return home?
Wrong
58
Right
26
DK/CS
16

Do you agree with the allegation that Benazir and her husband have a trail of corruption—properties and money—in foreign countries?
Yes
57
No
23
DK/CS
20

Benazir says she would not engage in political dialogue with religious parties. Is this approach right or wrong?
Wrong
50
Right
24
DK/CS
26

Methodology In a snap poll Gallup conducted for Outlook in Pakistan, a total of 1,140 people in Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Islamabad were interviewed face to face. The respondents comprised a statistical cross-section of different age and income groups, and educational background. The error margin for a survey of this kind is +5% at 95% confidence level for each of the city results. The entire survey was carried out on October 22-23.

All figures are in percentage *DK/CS: Don’t know/Can’t say
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