Washington: Over four in ten Pakistanis believe it is very important for Western and Muslim societies to get along, inspite of a majority of Pakistanis expressing disapproval of the current leadership in the United States.
According to the latest Gallup Poll, though the Pakistani disapproval of the United States Government soared to an all-time high of 85 percent in 2011, 43 percent of Pakistanis still believe it is very important for Western and Muslim societies to get along.
It is a known fact that Pakistan`s relations with the US remain on hold as the country continues to re-evaluate ties after a November NATO air strike killed over 20 Pakistani soldiers on the Afghan border. That attack triggered a diplomatic crisis that further strained relations that were already rocky after US Navy Seals killed al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in Abbotabad in May.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar has said this month that re-engagement with Washington cannot start until the re-evaluation process is complete and expected rules for relations to be out "in days”.
Khar said she believed the process would also result in a stronger, much more effective partnership between the two countries.
On the other hand, US State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland, while admitting that relations with Islamabad were fragile, said: "We believe we both need a strong, continuing, cooperative relationship across the range of important issues -- political, economic, security. We want to get back to the full range of business together, and we want to do that as soon as the Pakistani side is fully ready to have those conversations with us."
ANI
