Inflation, not Kashmir biggest issue in Pakistan: Survey

Pakistan's state of economy and not Kashmir is the biggest cause of worry for a vast majority of Pakistanis, a new survey has revealed.

The survey, conducted in four provinces of Pakistan by Gallup-Gilani Pakistan, has found that 53 per cent of Pakistanis are worried about inflation, 23 per cent said unemployment was a major problem, while four per cent of the people identified corruption as the major problem, the survey said.

Of the 1,200 Pakistanis surveyed, only 8 per cent considered Kashmir as the biggest issue of Pakistan.

The issue of Kashmir ranked third, after inflation and unemployment in Pakistan, but above local matters such as water crisis, corruption and political instability.

Interestingly, Pakistan's political parties have always harped on the Kashmir issue, which they say is close to their heart. But, if the survey is to be believed, the people seem to care less about Kashmir.

The survey took place over a period of two weeks from October 7 to October 20. The sample size of the survey comprised men and women in urban and rural areas in all four provinces of Pakistan - Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and North-West Frontier Province.

Gallup Pakistan is the Pakistani affiliate of Gallup International. IANS