Pakistani Rangers and Indian Border Security Force personnel perform the daily retreat ceremony on the India-Pakistan Border at Wagah on January 8, 2012. PHOTO: AFP
The survey was conducted nationwide by Pildat with the support and assistance of Danish International Development Agency (Danida) and the Centre of the Study of Developing Sciences (CSDS) Delhi.
The purpose for the survey was to measure various trends in both countries on democracy, trust of the people in different state institutions, their expectations of their elected representatives and impact of television and newspapers.
The ‘Views on State Democracy in South Asia: 2013 Pakistan Report’ was jointly launched by Danish Ambassador to Islamabad Jesper Moller Sorensen and Pildat executive director Ahmed Bilal Mehmood at a local hotel where experts on the subject and parliamentarians expressed their views on the report.
The ‘Indian Report’ was released by CSDS director Sanjay Kumar, who specially flew to Islamabad to attend the event.
According to the survey, 33% of Pakistanis think India is a friendly country while only 11% Indians say Pakistan is a friendly country. When Pakistanis were asked about China, 96% responded that it was the ‘friendliest’ country to Pakistan while 77% regarded Bangladesh as a friendly country.
When people were asked how much were they satisfied with functioning of democracy in Pakistan, 53% said they were ‘satisfied’, which showed an increase of 21% in satisfaction with democracy. In Pakistan, 56% male and 50% women were found satisfied with the functioning of democracy.
Sanjay Kumar said 55% Indian people were satisfied with democracy while 33% were dissatisfied, adding, 62% males while 54% females were satisfied with the functioning democracy. Interestingly, 54% of Indian people did not know the meaning of democracy, he added.
In his remarks, Bilal Mehboob said many Pakistanis were rightly proud of the elections in 2013, where one democratically elected government succeeded another. “Yet democracy is still fragile, so we must continuously keep an eye on the political development and make demands to our politicians to consolidate democracy.”
Published in The Express Tribune, February 17th, 2014.
COMMENTS (31)
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India is living in a bubble in which they are the world's superpower. That bubble will burst if Modi comes and Muslim countries boycott India, if Pakistan is attacked, or when China decides to teach India its place. India is isolated. Soon they will run from Afghanistan also, we Pukhtoons and Baloch have had enough of their meddling.
The 33% naive Pakistanis need to stop fooling themselves and develop some self-respect. India and Indians are sworn mortal enemies of Pakistan and there can never be any real peace between the two countries.
Generally Indians have lately developed a bloated opinion of themselves. They remain a largely improverished third world country and should keep a reality check.
@EHM: You can keep ur eyes on Indian sanitation problems. I m sure it gives meaning to your lives in Pakistan. U guys are really in a sad state of mind. Sympathies
As it is known, Pakistanis are kind, generous, and peace-loving people. Regardless of 3 invasions by India, our kind people are still able to look past it. I am proud of my Pakistan people's pure and big heart. Give Kashmir freedom, and India can have peace with all Muslim countries. It really is that easy.
@Kashif; @abcde: Besides using the all-too-familiar war-mongering tone, you are either too naive or blind to believe that India nurses a long historical animosity against Pakistan. You have done little or nothing to restore confidence and trust which have, time and again, been violated by your culture of terrorism which will, surely, destroy you first than any other country or region. Instead of creating a viable economy through entrepreneurship and education of your masses (according to UN reports, the Madrassah "graduates" will surely establish a stone-age system in the country and take you back to medieval times), your country's nation-building process has been derailed by blind support of religious extremism. Indians had a lot of goodwill for Pakistanis towards the mid and latter part of the 1980s but then you launched this ugly culture of terrorism which, you hoped, would harm India but, instead, it has begun harming you and also created a lot of ill-will amongst Indians and other neighbours (even Iran has been severely criticizing your country in recent weeks). The Mumbai attacks of 2008 eradicated all traces of goodwill for Pakistanis who are now - rightly or wrongly -- being called terrorists and extremists. How can you set this picture right? Don't just keep saying that India is not responding to your overtures; you have to make us feel justified in our trust if we respond to you. That feeling of trust has gone and it will be an uphill task for you restoring that confidence. Also, time is not on your side because the world, not just India, is slowly turning against your culture of begging, borrowing and stealing, besides the familiar record of how little the world has done for you. The world is not obligated to do anything for you, in the first place. You have to become self dependent and to do that, you have to first earn a place in the community of civilized nations.
@abcde: do not absolve yourself of sins by claiming Indians as war mongerers. If Pakistan was all holy you would not have been in this position you are in. Yes some of us speak of war, some even interrupt Pakistani band performances and that is not right, however none of us take a boat and carry out gruesome act of terrorism on your soil. We fantasise war , sorry we do, wrong as it may be but we don't commit acts of terror on your soil like you do on ours. Yet many are still in favor of better ties that is not being narrow minded.
Well in india bombing and beheading is not common...so whenever such attack occurs, we find ourselves nothing but to hate pakistan.. Stop sponsoring terrorism and we indians will fell in love with pakistan.
@shah you are right dude, if you provide a land of gold for reunification, more than 95% of our people (Parsis+Muslims+Hindus+Sikhs+Jains+Buddhists+Jews+Christians+Ethests+others) will refuse such Reunification proposal.
Do not even think about it, look at you where you stand now.
@EHM: Look at Pakistan. The mayhem, daily Taliban attacks at Karachi and Peshawar. Economy is in doldrums. People are being sick and tired of Sharia law. Molvies making law for you guys. Killing of law enforcement and educated elites is daily routine. Christian and minorities are being treated like third class citizens. Press and journalists being attacked and killed every day. Movies houses and theaters are empty without Indian movies. There is no electrical power for industry to run and homes to be lighted. India offered MFN status to Pakistan and you refused to make progress in trade and beg international community with begging bowl. Thanks to uncle Sam with providing with aid and mighty dollar. India is no matter dirty but is safe of many thing. India no doubt has many problems yet its citizen feel much safer. Indians can at least sleep safely without the fear being attacked by Taliban's. List keep going on. I pray for Pakistan and look forward the day when average Pakistani will have freedom to feel safe from Taliban's. When it's press will not be attacked. When people will walk safely in their towns and streets safely and sleep safely without fear of terrorism. May that day come soon, I pray.
First of all, these surveys mean nothing.
Secondly, India and Pakistan are on two different planes. As much as the Pakistanis like to believe, the Indians don't give that much importance to Pakistan just like the US, UK or even China doesn't give that much importance to India. India has moved on.
Agreed - lots of Indians comment on ET posts, but then they also do on Australian, UK, US, etc.. This is what you call soft power - Indian civilians can change the perception by commenting / clarifying on issues related to India.
Pakistani liking India? If you remove the colored (religious) glasses, there is no reason not to like India.
Amusing how some Indians misinterpret this headline and start lecturing Pakistanis over Partition. Hey Indians , Partition happened, get over it.
This won't mean that we will open our borders for Pakistani travelers travelling to India with an agenda.
Hard to believe this tailored survey. Majority of Pakistanis do not trust Indians, where the warmth comes from, I fail to understand! Many I know do not like watching any type of Indian channels because they spit venom against Pakistan. Absolutely reject this survey. ET plz publish.
A very encouraging result.Reason for the Indians' feelings are understandable .Who wouldn't feel that way after Mumbai and the incidents on the LOC? the sooner both sides realise that it is in each of their interest the better it would be for the region and the world.
@kashif - It is just that an average Indian doesn't think of Pakistanis the way you think about us. Whenever any Pakistani or his child gets cured in a hospital in Delhi or Bangalore, it comes as a news with a short interview - the Pakistani father is grateful and prays for peace, etc., Because of the terrorist training camps, cross over, bomb blasts, etc.etc, an average Indian doesn't think about Pakistani - that is a fact. It doesn't mean they hat Pakistanis. The Popular Pakistanis in India are - Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Rameez Raja, Gulam Ali, to name a few
The day is not far when Pakistanis will realise the great folly this partition has been. Both Indians and Pakistanis are essentially one people but some hateful 'leaders' of the Muslim league divided this nation into two in 1947. Time to put the two nation theory where it rightfully belongs, in the bin of history.
I guess pakistanis are now cursing themselves for having broken off from India. Now they are facing an existential threat from the enforcers of Sharia rule by bunch of fanatics in their own territory. Average Pakistanis worry over the coming days of public amputation, public hanging, public stoning to death for adultery is just round the corner in the name of Sharia. No more music, no more cinemas, no more entertainment with the implementation of Sharia by fanatics. I really pity a common citizen in Pakistan. I feel really sorry for them.
The Express Tribune comments section can attest to that! Droves of Indians take time off every day to tell us how much they hate us, and that too on our websites. If you hate us so much why do you bother visiting our websites?
Of late, more and more surveys are becoming custom made and tailored to mould an opinion instead of reflecting an opinion.
In India, our national objective is to reach the zeneith of Economic growth. Pak is friendly or not towards us, don't really matter. When ur eyes are set on a goal small bumps(pak) dnt matter ET plz publish.
"More Pakistanis than Indians favour “cooperative” relations between Islamabad and New Delhi "
Shows the narrow mindedness and war mongering mentality on the other end. Even after all the involvement of India in Pakistan's internal matters and proxy terrorism, Pakistanis still have big hearts unlike the shiv sina followers
Why not? We Pakistanis watch Indian movies in cinemas, in our homes, during vacations, with our children and family; listen to Indian music on FM 106.2, 103, 101 and so on. We wear Indian fashion, boys dream about bollywood actresses, girls dream about bollywood actors, our PM is head over heels in love with India, in fact 80% of our Parliament; our cricket team is dying to play against India no matter what; our businessmen beg to do business with India and the list goes on. These tiny little things must make us more warmer than Indians who; unfortunately, do not let go any opportunity to malign Pakistan, be it Times of India, Times Now, and even their vocal politicians. Indian youth is extremely venomous for Pakistan now and it happened during the past decade.
"Interestingly, 54% of Indian people did not know the meaning of democracy, he added." shows people simply dont care about politics......no one actually cares here.....needs to change ASAP
Pakistan should fear the Islamic Emirate of Pakistan which is taking shape in Waziristan, than India.