51% Pakistanis want Punjab, KP elections along with NA polls: survey

• 35% term Imran Khan's decision to dissolve assemblies wrong.
• 77% suggest politicians should work to improve atmosphere.
• 49% hold the incumbent PDM government responsible for inflation.

KARACHI: As many as 51% of Pakistanis support the proposal to hold Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies' elections along with the National Assembly in October, while 34% oppose it, The News reported Saturday.

Besides, most Pakistanis also termed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s decision of dissolving Punjab and KP assemblies wrong.

The findings were revealed in a survey conducted from April 1-19, 2023 by the Institute for Public Opinion Research in which, more than 1,200 Pakistanis took part from across the country.

To a question asked in the survey about holding provincial elections with the National Assembly, 51% agreed to the proposal, 34% opposed it, and 15% did not express their opinion.

In addition, 35% respondents also believed that it was a wrong decision on the part of Khan to dissolve the Punjab and KP assemblies, while 28% said the PTI should have remained in the assemblies.

In contrast, 16% considered Khan's decision of dissolving assemblies correct. However, 21% avoided responding to the question.

An overwhelming majority of 77% respondents suggested that the political leadership and vital institutions should work in collaboration to improve the political atmosphere. However, 13% opposed the idea while 10% preferred not to reply.

Regarding the survey question about who is responsible for the unbridled inflation in the country, 49% of the respondents held the incumbent PDM government responsible, 32% pointed their fingers towards Khan’s government, while 19% did not respond.