Nearly sixty percent of Pakistanis polled described the U.S. as an enemy and only ten percent called it a partner.
A Pew Research Center poll released Thursday, found that most Pakistanis want improved relations with the United States. But most view the U.S. with suspicion, support for American involvement in the fight against extremists has declined, and nearly two-thirds want U.S. troops out of neighboring Afghanistan.
While the Pew survey found that Pakistanis have an overwhelmingly negative view of the United States, it also found that Pakistanis have grown less fearful of extremists seizing control of their country, perhaps reflecting gains that government troops have made against militants since early 2009.
Not surprisingly, fifty-three percent rated India as the biggest threat, 23 percent named the Taliban and three percent cited al-Qaida.
Mistrust of the U.S. among Pakistanis appears due in part to Washington’s decision to turn away from the South Asian nation after enlisting its support to defeat the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s.
State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said that while he had not seen the poll numbers, the administration is aware of a “deficit of trust” in the U.S.-Pakistani relationship.
“It is important to, over time, demonstrate to the people of Pakistan that the United States is genuinely interested in a different long-term relationship,” Crowley said, and the administration believes that once Pakistanis see tangible benefits they will view the U.S. more positively.
Many Pakistanis also believe the U.S. gives them little or none, according to the poll. About a quarter of those questioned said the U.S. provides a lot of financial aid. Nearly a quarter said it provides a little aid, 10 percent said the U.S. gives hardly any, and 16 percent believe the U.S. gives Pakistan no aid.
The poll also showed that only seventeen percent expressed a favorable view of the U.S., and 64 percent said it is important for relations with the United States to improve.
The Pew poll consisted of face-to-face interviews in April with 2,000 adults in areas of Pakistan that represent about 84 percent of the nation’s adult population. The Federally Administered Tribal Areas — the region along the Afghan border where al-Qaida is believed to have found haven and where the Pakistani government has little control — was not included in the survey.
In its May 2009 survey of Pakistanis, Pew found that 69 percent were very or somewhat worried about extremist groups taking control of their country. That was one month after the Pakistani army began a large-scale offensive against extremists in the Swat Valley, some 100 miles (160 kilometers) from Islamabad.
This year’s poll found that 51 percent expressed concern about a takeover by extremists.
Pakistanis also said they feel less threatened by the Taliban and much less by al-Qaida. The proportion who considered al-Qaida a serious threat fell from 61 percent last year to 38 percent this year. The equivalent numbers with regard to the Taliban fell from 73 percent to 54 percent.
The shift in opinion could be seen as a positive trend if it reflects actual setbacks for the extremists in battles with government forces.
But it also could cut the other way. If Pakistanis see less of a threat from militants, that could undercut U.S. efforts to persuade their government to expand its offensive against insurgents and to take on the groups of greatest concern to the U.S., including al-Qaida.
The poll also found that while the Taliban and al-Qaida are unpopular in Pakistan, negative views toward them have become a little less prevalent over the past year, while positive views have increased.
Eighteen percent said they view al-Qaida with favor, compared to nine percent a year ago and 25 percent in 2008. Fifty-three percent had an unfavorable view of the group, compared to 61 percent a year ago and 34 percent in 2008.
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