Pak People For Friendship With India: Poll
An overwhelming majority of people in Pakistan would like to have friendly relations with India, according to a latest survey conducted by Herald, published from Karachi, in its annual number in the golden jubilee year of formation of Pakistan.
The path-breaking survey, which goes on to show that anti-Indian hawks in the establishment are speaking for a minority, reveals that friendlier ties with India have been favoured by most people across the regional divide in the country.
Quetta in Baluchistan seems to be the least hostile to india, followed by Karachi, Multan, Lahore and Peshwar.
Also Read
The anti-India feeling, according to the survey, is strangely, most pronounced in Sukkur (sind) which is the only city where those against better ties are in a majority.
The city-wise percentage break-up of those in favour of good neighbourly relations with india is: Karachi (67.8), Lahore (52.2), Islamabad/Rawalpindi (50.6), Peshawar (52.2), Quetta (80.0), Multan (61.7) and Sukkur (43.9).
There is also a large difference on this issue between the sexes. Men, it seems are far more pro-India (67 per cent) than women (50 per cent) overall, with affluent and middle-class men the most in favour of breaking down the walls.
Fewer people in Pakistan are apprehensive of a war with India. A majority of the population in Karachi (51 per cent), Lahore (65.5), Multan (61) and Quetta (51) do not think Pakistan will fight another war with India in the next five years.
It is an open secret that most Pakistanis watch Indian movies on their videos. But when it comes to answering question about cultural invasion from across the border, they tend to display hawkish tendencies. More men want to see Madhuri Dixit.
In fact, a majority of men in the young, high income group are in favour of more give and take.
Poor women, on the other hand, take a diametrically opposite and, dare one say, sterner view of the situation, the survey reports.
Most Pakistanis tend to reject the proposition that the country should accept the actual line of control as an international border, making the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir as an official part of Pakistan and the rest as a part of India.
The strength of feeling about any compromise over the Kashmir issue seems to rise as one travels north.
Although Karachi also rejects the status quo option, it has a fairly large number of those who agree with this proposition.
This is in sharp contrast to Lahore, where there are far fewer takers for the line of control theory.
Similarly, a majority of the people, barring in Sind, are opposed to the idea of Kashmir becoming independent and favour its merger with Pakistan.