A new survey reveals that many Indians and Pakistanis view each other as their main security threat, highlighting the deep-seated mistrust between the two neighbouring nations.
A study by the American think tank Pew Research found that 54 percent of adults surveyed in India identified Pakistan as their primary geopolitical threat, with China coming next at 21 percent.
Likewise, 43 percent of Pakistanis identified India as their primary threat, while 24 percent each expressed the same view about Israel and China.na.
In Pakistan, three out of four people (75%) regard China as their main ally, while a smaller proportion (12%) cite Saudi Arabia. In India, around 36% view Russia as their closest ally, and 16% identify the United States. Roughly one-third of respondents in India did not answer the question.
Despite the close rapport between U.S. President Donald Trump and Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir, only 15% of Pakistanis view the United States positively, while an overwhelming 90% hold a favourable opinion of China.
According to Pew Research, just 12% of Pakistanis expressed confidence that Mr. Trump would make the right decisions in global matters, whereas 83% said the same about China’s President Xi Jinping.
Indians held much more positive views of Russia (58% favourable) and President Vladimir Putin (51% confidence) than Pakistanis do — 39% and 32% respectively.
Just 23% of Indians view China positively, while 25% trust Xi Jinping's global leadership.
45% of surveyed Indians viewed the U.S. favourably, while 39% expressed more confidence in Mr. Trump.
A survey of adults in four South Asian countries India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka produced a range of differing results.
A substantial majority of Sri Lankans (79%) hold a favorable opinion of India, in contrast to 42% of Bangladeshis and only 7% of Pakistanis.
63% of Sri Lankans identify India as their most important ally, whereas people in Bangladesh and Pakistan most frequently regard India as their primary threat.
In the United States, 45% of Americans have a favourable opinion of India, whereas 50% hold an unfavourable view. As many as half of Democrats and Democratic-leaning individuals view India favorably, compared with 42% of Republicans.
More than 54% of Americans surveyed say India’s global influence has remained roughly unchanged in recent years, while 30% believe it is growing stronger. Another 13% say India’s influence has been declining.