Sharif beats Zardari 75 percent to 19 in Pak popularity stakes

New York, May 12 (ANI): Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari may have 'impressed' the United States by announcing an all out war against the Taliban and other extremists in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), but he does not seem to have much support back home, as only 19 percent of Pakistanis approve of his move.

According to an opinion poll released by the Washington based International Republican Institute, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has emerged stronger than Zardari, in the current volatile situation, as 75 percent of Pakistanis support him.

The poll also shows that about 81 percent of the people believe their country is headed in the wrong direction, and blamed Zardari for the chaos.

However, a majority of the people prefer an unstable democracy to a military dictatorship, The New York Times reports.

The poll, which was conducted in March just before the Taliban started expanding its writ from the Swat Valley to other parts of the province, showed only 10 percent of Pakistanis considering terrorism as the most important issue facing the country. They ranked the economy at the top of their concerns.

Sixty-nine percent agreed that having the Taliban and Al Qaeda operate in Pakistan is a serious problem, and 52 percent opposed using the army to fight extremists in the NWFP and the neighboring tribal regions along the Afghanistan border.(ANI)