Most Pakistanis back war against militants: poll

A majority of Pakistanis support military action against Islamist militants although more people blame the United States for the violence than blame the Taliban, a poll released on Tuesday showed.

According to a Gilani Research Foundation poll conducted by Gallup Pakistan, an affiliate of Gallup International, 51 per cent of people support the government offensive.

'There is cautious support in Pakistani public opinion for the military action currently underway in South Waziristan,' the research group said.

Thirteen per cent of more than 2,700 people surveyed across the country opposed the military action while 36 per cent said they were unsure.

While a majority supported the action, only 25 per cent of respondents said the Islamists were responsible for the offensive with 35 per cent blaming the United States and 31 per cent the government.

Thirty-six per cent of people thought the offensive would improve security while 37 per cent said it would lead to a deterioration, the poll found.

The research group said the sharpest change from previous surveys was on the question of whose war it was, with many Pakistanis long believing the army was fighting America's war.

'Public opinion is still divided on the issue but many more consider it Pakistan's own war compared to a year ago,' the research group said.

In the latest survey, 37 per cent of people considered it Pakistan's war while 39 per cent saw it as America's war. Last year, only 23 per cent of those questioned considered military action in the northwest to be Pakistan's war.