ISLAMABAD: An overwhelming 67 per cent of Pakistanis want President Pervez Musharraf to step down, a new survey says.
According to the Washington-based International Republican Institute (IRI), 70 per cent said the Musharraf-backed erstwhile ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML) did not deserve to be re-elected, while two-thirds "expressed anger at the current state of affairs, desired change and were anti-Musharraf".
IRI, a conservative-leaning civic group, randomly surveyed 3,520 people across Pakistan, and the poll carried an error margin of plus-minus 1.69 percentage points.
"The results also appeared to show widespread discontent with the US-backed proposal of a power-sharing arrangement between Musharraf and opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, with 60 per cent opposing the idea," Dawn reported Friday.
Fifty-eight per cent indicated they would prefer to see in power an opposition alliance composed of key anti-Musharraf figures, including former prime ministers Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif.
Only one-third were "supportive of President Musharraf and were positive about the condition of the country", while 56 per cent said the army should stay out of civilian government, the survey showed.
On the imposition of the Nov 3 Emergency and the dismissal of the Supreme Court judges, the poll showed the people overwhelmingly opposed the measure.
"Musharraf's move polarised the country, and this polarisation carries through the other attitudes and opinions of the Pakistani electorate," Dawn said.
"This line of polarisation splits the electorate into two parts, at roughly the two-third and one-third divide. Throughout the poll, 25 to 33 per cent remained supportive of President Musharraf and were positive about the condition of the country. Seventy-five to 66 per cent expressed anger at the current state of affairs, desired change and were anti-Musharraf," the newspaper added.
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