91% support ceasefire, 96% say Pakistan won the war: survey

ISLAMABAD: A vast majority (91 per cent) of Pakistanis viewed the ceasefire as a good decision. Optimism about Indian compliance remains cautious—52 per cent believe India will comply with the agreement, while 34 per cent expect no compliance at all.

Gallup Pakistan has unveiled findings from a nationally representative public opinion survey conducted by Gallup Pakistan between May 12 and May 18, assessing Pakistani public sentiment in the aftermath of recent ceasefire agreement with India. The survey, covering all provinces and both urban and rural populations, offers insight into public attitudes on the ceasefire, perceptions of responsibility and outcomes of the conflict, evaluations of political and military leadership and future bilateral cooperation.

Pakistanis perceive war was inflicted on the country but it won the war. An overwhelming 87 per cent held India responsible for initiating the conflict. Regarding the outcome, 96 per cent believed Pakistan was more successful than India in the recent conflict.

The Pakistani military received high praise, with 97 per cent rating its performance as good or very good. Public opinion of the army improved for 93 per cent of respondents following the conflict. In contrast, the civilian government received a positive rating of 73 per cent.

Among major parties, the PMLN received the highest positive performance rating (65 per cent), followed by PTI (60 per cent) and PPP (58 per cent). Despite confrontation, a large proportion favour working relationship with India. Views on normalising relations with India are divided. Trade cooperation received the highest support (49 per cent), followed closely by sports (48 per cent), education (44 per cent), and cultural exchanges (40 per cent). Around a third of respondents consistently opposed such normalisation.

Public opinion of Pakistan’s friendship with China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Iran improved significantly post-conflict, with China topping the list at 83 per cent positive rating. In contrast, views on the United States were more divided, with only 39 per cent reporting improved sentiment.