Poll finds Pakistanis are less worried about a takeover by extremists; most see US as enemy

Poll: Pakistanis less worried about extremists

WASHINGTON — A new poll finds that Pakistanis have grown less fearful of extremists taking over their country.

That could be a reflection of gains that Pakistani government troops have made against militants since early 2009.

The polls results were released Thursday by the Pew Research Center.

The survey also found that while most Pakistanis want improved relations with the United States, America’s overall image is bad, support for American involvement in the fight against extremists has declined and nearly two-thirds want U.S. troops out of neighboring Afghanistan.

Nearly six in 10 Pakistanis polled described the U.S. as an enemy and only one in 10 called it a partner.