Dawn : No sympathy for Benazir after attack - survey

No sympathy for Benazir after attack - survey

Reuters | October 26, 2007

NEW DELHI -- The attempted assassination of former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto has not sparked public sympathy for her and Pakistanis do not support her plan to share power with President Pervez Musharraf, a survey said.

An overwhelming number of those surveyed also think that their country is headed in the “wrong direction”, seeing restoration of democracy as more important than fighting “terrorism”, the Gallup poll showed.

The survey had been conducted in four Pakistani cities -- Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

“Asked whether the assassination attempt on Benazir would help enhance her political fortunes, 58 percent replied in the negative,” the statement said, adding that 53 percent were opposed to her deal with Musharraf to restore civilian rule.

Musharraf, 50 percent of those polled said, should retire from public life and another 35 percent wanted him to resign as army chief.

Pakistan was headed in the “wrong direction”, 82 percent said.