By Saad Saud
ISLAMABAD—A survey commissioned by Al Jazeera in Pakistan has revealed a widespread disenchantment with the United States for interfering with what most people consider internal Pakistani affairs.
The polling was conducted by Gallup Pakistan - a separate organisation affiliated with the US-based Gallup Inc — and more than 2,600 people took part.
Interviews were conducted across the political spectrum, and represented men and women of every economic and ethnic background.
The resentment was made clear when residents were asked if they support or oppose Pakistan’s own military offensive against Taliban targets. Keeping with recent trends a growing number of people, now 41 per cent, support the campaign. About 24 per cent of people remain opposed, but an additional 22 per cent of Pakistanis remain neutral on the question.
That number changes quite significantly when people were asked if they would support government-sanctioned dialogue with Taliban fighters if it were a viable option. The same 41 per cent said they would still support the military offensive. But the number of those supporting dialogue leaps up to 43 per cent. So clearly, Pakistanis are, right now, fairly evenly split on how to deal with the Taliban threat.
However, when asked if they support or oppose the US military’s drone attacks against what Washington claims are Taliban and al-Qaeda targets, only nine per cent of respondents reacted favourably. A massive 67 per cent say they oppose US military operations on Pakistani soil. The consensus of opinion on US military involvement is notable given the fact that on a raft of internal issues there is a clear level of disagreement, which can be expected in a country of this size.
When asked for their opinions on Asif Ali Zardari, the Pakistani president, 42 per cent of respondents believe he is doing a bad job. Around 11 per cent approve of his leadership, and another 34 per cent have no strong opinion either way.
That pattern was reflected in a question about the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). Respondents were asked if they thought the PPP is good or bad for the country. About 38 per cent said the PPP is bad for the country, 20 per cent believe it is good for the country and another 30 per cent said they have no strong opinion.
Respondents were even more fractured when asked for their views on how the country should be led. By far, the largest percentage would opt for Nawaz Sharif, a former prime minister, as leader. At least 38 per cent back him to run Pakistan.
Zardari received only nine per cent support, while Gilani, Pakistan’s prime minister, has the backing of 13 per cent.
But from there, opinions vary greatly. Eight per cent of the population would support a military government, 11 per cent back a political coalition of the PPP and Sharif’s PML-N party.
Another six per cent throw their support behind religious parties and the remaining 15 per cent would either back smaller groups or simply do not have an opinion. The level of diversity disappears when broader questions of security and military intervention are posed. In the same way that most Pakistanis right now reject what they see as US military interference, they strongly oppose US policies as a whole.
A poll commissioned by the news network Al Jazeera in Pakistan has concluded that a majority of Pakistanis believe that Pakistan's largest military aid donor, the United States, is the "biggest" threat to the country today.

The polling was conducted by Gallup Pakistan, an affiliate of Gallup International. Of the more than 2,600 Pakistanis polled 11% believed Taliban fighters to be the biggest threat, another 18% believed neighboring India to be the biggest threat to Pakistan. However, 59% (1,534) of the 2,600 Pakistanis polled believed that the United States is the biggest threat to Pakistan today.

A probable cause of resentment of the United States in Pakistan are the drone attacks, which are opposed by 66% of those polled, according to Al Jazeera. Drone attacks killed four civilians in Southern Afghanistan near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border on Wednesday, August, 5. In October, 2006, a drone attack hit a school in South Waziristan killing 80 people causing unrest in Pakistan.  

Other results of the poll showed that 67% of Pakistanis polled, oppose U.S military intervention on Pakistan soil. Another 41% support negotiations with the Taliban.  

The poll also revealed that some are dissatisfied with the current government of Pakistan, showing only 11% support for the current president, Asif Ali Zardari.    

A sample size of 2662 people (52% men and 48% women) across all four Pakistani provinces was utilized for face-to-face questioning. The poll was conducted on July 26 and 27, 2009 and is considered accurate to the 95% confidence level with a margin of error of +/- 2-3%.