Two-third Pakistanis say Musharraf must go: poll

Washington: A majority of Pakistanis favour their government not fighting Al-Qaeda and Taliban but negotiating with the terror outfits, while viewing US as the greatest threat to their personal safety, according to a survey by a US agency.
The survey also said almost three-quarter of Pakistanis participated in the poll opined that embattled President Pervez Musharraf should resign and if he doesn't, he should be removed by the Parliament.
The survey, conducted across Pakistan, also said that the Al-Qaeda has gained public support, while a maximum number of Pakistanis viewed the United States as the greatest threat to their personal safety.
"Fourty-four per cent of Pakistanis think the US poses the greatest threat to their safety while the so-called arch rival India comes at second place with only 14 per cent find it as a threat," the poll conducted by US-based Terror Free Tomorrow: The Center for Public Opinion and the New America Foundation said. The poll has revealed that half of Pakistanis want their government to negotiate and not fight Al-Qaeda, while less than one third of them favoured military action against the militant group.
Similarly, 58 per cent of the people surveyed favoured holding negotiations with Taliban and 19 per cent suggest for military action against it. With parliamentary by-elections in the country scheduled for next week, the poll has found that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is emerging as the most popular leader in the country and his party, the PML-N, clear winner in any national contest.