Imran Khan most popular leader

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has been declared as the most popular leader in Pakistan, based on the findings of a survey conducted by the Global Attitudes project of PEW Research Centre. According to the survey, seven out of ten Pakistani respondents offered a favourable opinion about Khan, while the favourable ratings for the leader increased by 18 percentage points over the last two years. The survey also revealed that Khan enjoys incomparable popularity among the youth. On the other hand, President Asif Ali Zardari’s popularity went significantly down to 14 per cent as compared to 64 per cent in 2008, and popularity of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif dropped to 62 per cent from 79 per cent in 2009. A majority of the respondents (97 per cent), aware of the drone attacks, believe that the strikes have a negative impact on the country. “Those who are familiar with the drone campaign also overwhelmingly believe the attacks kill too many innocent people (94 per cent). Nearly three-quarters (74 per cent) say they are not necessary to defend Pakistan from extremist organisations.” The survey says that PTI’s stance on drone attacks and its stand against the war on terror might be the reason of his popularity among the overwhelming majority of the people. According to the survey, about nine in ten people (87 per cent) are dissatisfied with the country’s state of the affairs and the direction it has taken. Around 89 per cent describe the national economic situation as “bad”. Nine in ten consider crime and joblessness as the top national concerns, and a vast majority (86 per cent) considers terrorism to be a major concern for the country. Nearly three-quarters are concerned about corrupt political leaders (78 per cent) and illegal drugs (76per cent).