LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan leads Gallup poll according to the latest results released by the survey agency, reported The Friday Times.
62% of Pakistanis blame the incumbent Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government rather than the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for the current economic meltdown and political chaos, according to a recent Gallup poll.
As per Gallup Pakistan’s national representative survey – conducted in the first 20 days of February 2023 over a sample size of nearly 2,000 survey respondents – PTI chairman Imran Khan was positively rated across the country. Many respondents also appeared amenable for supporting a new political party with technocrats and ‘honest’ political leaders.
62% of the surveyed participants believed that PDM was rightly getting blamed for inflation and instability in the country.
Public opinion on who to blame for the current economic crisis was clear, as the majority (62%) put the blame on PDM/PML-N while only 38% blamed the preceding PTI government for the current crises. It does not come as a surprise that an overwhelming majority of those who put the blame on PDM/PML-N had voting intentions for PTI, and vice versa.
Widespread unemployment continues dampening public opinion over recent months
As far as unemployment is concerned, 21% respondents reported that someone in their household had lost their job in the past six months.
The survey depicts Pakistan’s economy in dire straits, as almost 1 in 5 Pakistanis reported that they or someone in their household lost their job since last September.
Imran Khan most popular politician, while Asif Ali Zardari is most negatively rated
Imran Khan leads Gallup poll on this front as well since the PTI chairman received a positive rating from 61% of the population surveyed in the Gallup poll, while 37% rated him negatively.
29% from Punjab, 28% from Sindh and 14% from KP gave Khan a positive rating; the highest amongst the provinces for any politician.
Almost 3 in 5 respondents (59%) gave Nawaz Sharif a negative rating, while 36% gave him a positive rating. People from KP rated the senior Sharif more negatively than people from other provinces.
36% of the respondents rated foreign minister and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari positively, while 57% gave him a negative rating. However, out of all the provinces, he got the most positive ratings from Sindh.
PMLN senior vice president Maryam Nawaz was rated negatively by 61% while 34% gave her a positive rating. People from Punjab see her in a much more positive light when compared to other provinces.
65% of the surveyed Pakistanis rated prime minister Shehbaz Sharif negatively, while 32% gave him a positive rating. People from Punjab rated him more positively as compared to other provinces.
Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman received a negative rating of 57% while only 31% gave him a positive rating. He received the least negative ratings from KP.
Asif Ali Zardari was rated negatively by 67% while 27% rated him positively. Since 2022, Zardari has gained a more favorable opinion amongst the population. However, people from Punjab gave him the most negative ratings, followed by KP and then Sindh.
Majority would support new political party with honest members
According to the Gallup Pakistan survey, if there was a new party formed containing honest political members and technocrats, 53% of the surveyed people said they would leave their current party and vote for the new one instead.
These 53% of respondents said “yes” when asked “If there was a new party formed containing honest political members and technocrats, would you leave your current party and vote for it instead?”
The highest proportion of people who said they would leave their current party and vote for the new, honest party were people aged 50 years and above.
The survey data showed that males were marginally more inclined than females in voting for the hypothetical new party with ‘honest’ political representatives.
Surprisingly, among all political party voters, the highest percentage of voters ready to leave their party – in favour of a more honest political platform – were found in PTI, where the figure was 52%.
Thin majority of respondents say Imran Khan did ‘the right thing’ by dissolving assemblies
As far as Imran Khan’s decision to dissolve assemblies in Punjab as KP is concerned, 57% of the respondents supported the decision. Of those who said that they support his decision, the majority (83%) intend to vote for PTI.
Surprisingly, the survey states that 24% of surveyed PMLN supporters thought that Imran Khan’s decision to dissolve the assemblies and hold new elections is right.
Majority favors Nawaz Sharif’s immediate return to the country
61% of the participants were in favour of Nawaz Sharif’s immediate return to the country. The highest proportion of people who are in favour of Nawaz’s immediate return were from KP 67%, followed by 64% from Punjab.
“Majority 61% want Nawaz Sharif to return. 91% PMLN voters also want him to return,” as per the survey.
The Gallup poll was conducted with approximately 2,000 respondents from all four provinces of Pakistan, including urban and rural areas. The error margin for Gallup Pakistan’s national representative survey is estimated at 3-4%, with statistical significance at the 95% confidence interval.
The political situation could change by the times elections are held in the country but as things stand, Imran Khan leads Gallup poll on almost all fronts against his major political opponents.__The Friday Times
