Almost half of all Pakistanis believe Israel carried out the September 11 attacks on the United States and 83 percent sympathize with the Taliban in the ongoing conflict, according to a poll commissioned by Newsweek.
The US weekly, in its edition to be published Monday, gives the results of a poll by the Gallup organization’s Pakistan affiliate which also shows strong opposition to the use of Pakistani soil by US troops.
The poll showed 48 percent of Pakistanis believe Israel carried out the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon near Washington, compared to 12 percent who blame Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden.
It said 25 percent of people polled believe a US group carried out the attacks, which killed more than 5,000 people, while five percent blame the Palestinians.
The poll found 51 percent of Pakistanis agree with their president's cooperation with the United States, while 41 percent disagree.
Thirty-seven percent of Pakistanis viewed President Pervez Musharraf's performance during the crisis as very good or good, 42 percent as okay, and 21 percent bad or very bad.
Only three percent sympathized with the United States in the conflict, compared to 87 percent with Afghanistan's Taliban Islamic militia, and 75 percent opposed the use of Pakistani airfields by US forces.
Bin Laden, the Afghanistan-based Islamic militant accused by the United States of masterminding the September 11 attacks, is viewed by 82 percent as a "mujahid" or freedom fighter, while just six percent consider him a terrorist.
US-led forces were Sunday entering their second week of military strikes on targets in Afghanistan linked to bin Laden's al-Qaeda network or the ruling Taliban, which is blamed for sheltering bin Laden.
A Newsweek statement said Gallup Pakistan polled 978 adults across the country on October 11 and 12. It said the survey had a margin of error of three to four percentage points -- NEW YORK (AFP)
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
