Despite the trust deficit, breakdown in talksand confidence-building measures that backfire, most pakistanis want better relations with India.

“Roughly seven-in-ten (72 percent) say it is important for relations with India to improve and about three-quarters support increased trade with India and further talks between the two rivals,” says a new survey done by the noted American think tank Pew Research Centre opinion poll which carried out survey inside Pakistan.

Though the same survey says that 53 percent Pakistanis view India as the major threat even surpassing the threat from Taliban and al-Qaida (figures for which are 23 percent 3 percent respectively).

73 percent rated the Taliban a serious threat last year and roughly six-in-ten (61 percent) considered al Qaeda a serious threat last year; now, just 38 percent feel this way.

The Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistani group active in Kashmir which has often attacked Indian targets, also widely blamed for the November 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks got mixed feelings in the report. “Just 35 percent have a negative view of LeT, while 40 percent offer no opinion,” said the report.

Kashmir remains a thorny issue. The report mentioned roughly eight-in-ten say it is very important that Pakistan and India resolve this issue, and 71 percent rate it a very big problem.

The image of the United States which has pumped billions of dollars in economic and military aid was nothing to cheer about. The image of Washington was lowest of 22 countries included in the survey. According to the study, “59 per cent of the respondents described America as an enemy and only eight per cent trusted the US President Barack Obama.”

“There is no consensus among Pakistanis about the size of American assistance to their country – 23 percent believe the U.S. provides a lot of financial aid, 22 percent say it provides a little aid, 10 percent say hardly any and 16% believe the U.S. gives Pakistan no aid,” report added.

Read the report