Pakistan: Turning Its Back on Terrorism
A new poll conducted by Gallup finds that a solid majority (60%) of Pakistanis think their government should take a tougher stance on ridding Pakistan of terrorist activities. A Terror Free Tomorrow Poll in August of 2007 found that Osama bin Laden had an approval rating of 46%, whereas President Musharraf only received a 38% approval rating in the same poll. In January of 2008 another poll from the same organization found that support for Bin Laden had fallen to 24% and backing of al-Qaeda fell to 18% from a previous 38%. Similarly, support for the Taliban had fallen by half from 38% to 19%.
The newest Gallup findings seem to support the trend found in these earlier polls and goes further with more detailed questioning. Not only do Pakistanis feel that the government needs to take a tougher approach, but nearly half (49%) say the government isn't doing enough.
Sympathy for the activities of al-Qaeda and the Taliban are most prevalent in the Northwest Frontier Province (N.W.F.P) and Balochistan province. Nearly half of respondents in both the N.W.F.P (46%) and Balochistan (48%) said they would like to see a tougher stance against terrorism. The numbers in Punjab and Sindh provinces were significantly larger at 76% and 57% respectively.
It should be noted that the Gallup Poll was conducted in October shortly after the Marriot bombing that took place in Islamabad. These findings will be welcomed from Pakistan's allies in the so-called 'war on terror' but will be most comforting for those within Pakistan's borders fighting extremism. The government can proceed with battling militants on Pakistan's soil with the confidence that a majority of the nation supports this war and that it is not just doing America's bidding. Not only will this make the government more confident in their actions, but it may help to garner confidence among the incoming Obama administration that they do in fact have a willing partner in Pakistan's civil society. Is this a sharp rebuke to the Bush-Musharraf partnership, a result of their alliance or a home-grown evolution?
UPDATE: Dawn News in Pakistan has reported that FBI interrogators have cleared Pakistan's intelligence agency, the ISI, of being involved in the attacks. The FBI interrogated the sole survivor out of the Mumbai attackers, Ajmal Amir Kasab, for nine hours. The FBI concludes that Kasab is a Pakistani national, that he was trained by Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, the plan was hatched and training was provided within Pakistan, but the ISI had no involvement in the attacks. The US and the UK hope to use this interrogation as a way of pressuring Pakistan to let India interrogate suspects captured by Pakistani authorities.
