EXCLUSIVE OUTLOOK-GALLUP SURVEY IN FOUR MAJOR CITIES INPAKISTAN
And Thereby Hangs An Election
53 per cent oppose Benazirs deal with Musharraf
Mutilated bodies, maimed children, weeping mothers.... Ittook one suicide bomber to forever stain the memory of Benazir Bhuttoshomecomingand punctuate Pakistans 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 Establishmentever wary of theUSallow 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 havent 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 |
| Sharifs sway over Punjab is important. This province accounts for 148 seats in the National Assembly as against Sindhs 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 Benazirs 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 |
| Dont 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 corruptionproperties and moneyin 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: Dont know/Cant say | |
