IRI survey

THE latest IRI survey is a fair indicator of public opinion and should act as an eye-opener to those in power. The survey, compared with earlier exercises of the type, indicates the rise and fall in the public estimation of major political leaders, points to the issues that concern the public the most and reveals how people evaluate the performance of the government. The level of support for Mian Nawaz Sharif has increased to 82 percent which is higher than ever before. This can only be explained by the principled stand he has taken on the issue of the deposed judges and the impeachment of the President. For similar reasons perhaps, that of Mr Zardari has gone down to 45 percent which interestingly is two points lower than that of Makhdoom Amin Faheem. Prime Minister Gilani stands above both at 64 percent and leaves Mr Bilawal Zardari Bhutto behind by two points. As many as 67 percent people want to see Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan as President.
Despite the growing dissatisfaction with the administration’s policies, with 51 percent rating its performance as poor, and despite a realization on the part of 72 percent that their personal economic conditions have worsened over the past year, the elected government remains the most popular institution, indicating that the people still retain faith in civilian rule and democracy. There is optimism among the majority that things might improve in days to come. With the prices of essential commodities including flour, sugar and pulses continuing to rise, inflation remains naturally the topmost public concern. The majority of people have shown concern about religious extremism, but they support the government’ policy of resolving the issue mainly through negotiations and development, rather than recourse to force.