Majority says dual national advisers ‘good’

KARACHI: A large group of 50 per cent Pakistanis surveyed found the dual national ministers and advisers qualified to defend the national interests, while 39 per cent local Pakistanis strongly disapproved of their dual nationality.

These results have emerged in the Gallup Pakistan opinion poll conducted into the controversial question lingering these days as to if the ministers and the prime ministers' special advisers could have dual nationalities and if that poses any threat to the national security. This question was put to over 1,300 people across the country and the polling was conducted from July 9 to August 10.

As many as 39 per cent of respondents disapproved of the dual nationality of the ministers and SAPMs (Special Advisors to Prime Minister), 24 per cent gave a favourable viewpoint to the question, 29 per cent thought that it does not matter and 8 per cent expressed no opinion.

To another question by the Gallup Pakistan that if the ministers and the advisers with dual nationalities could defend the country's interests, in their response, 50 per cent said they would, 41 percent thought they cannot, nine per cent reserved their opinion.

The respondents were also asked if they should quit their dual nationalities and keep that of Pakistan alone, 69 per cent thought it as the best option with this kind of ministers and advisers, 28 per cent did not agree to this line of question, three per cent expressed no opinion.

They were asked yet another question if Pakistanis living abroad were more honest as compared to those living and serving in Pakistan alone, 53 per cent of respondents agreed that they were more honest. As many as 17 per cent termed them worse off than the average Pakistanis, 30 per cent found there was no difference between the two.

To yet another question, if the Pakistani diaspora were better educated, 57 per cent agreed, 14 per cent said that was not the case, while 29 per cent found no difference between them and the Pakistanis living at home.

The pollster asked another question if the Pakistanis living abroad were more intelligent and efficient than the local counterparts, 54 per cent agreed that to be the case, 18 per cent said they were not smart enough, and 28 per cent said there was no difference.

The respondents were also asked if the Pakistanis living in foreign countries were more patriotic, 49 per cent said that was true, 15 per cent said they were no more patriotic than their fellow nationals living in Pakistan and 36 per cent found there was no difference in patriotism among the two groups of countrymen.