Poll: Most Pakistanis Think Bin Laden's Death Bad

The Associated Press reports:

Pakistanis largely disapprove of the U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden, with a majority believing the al-Qaida chief's death is a bad thing and relations between Washington and Islamabad will suffer as a result, new polling data show.

The findings of two Pew Research Center surveys reflect widespread anti-Americanism in a country where many view the U.S. as the main reason for rising Islamist violence that has killed thousands, even as many of the same Pakistanis hold the militants behind such attacks in low regard.

The survey results also show a deep pessimism among Pakistanis about the future of their nation and the caliber of their leaders. Roughly nine in 10 Pakistanis say they are dissatisfied with the direction the country is heading.

U.S. Navy SEALs killed bin Laden on May 2 in the northwest Pakistani garrison city of Abbottabad. The unilateral raid outraged Pakistani leaders, who called it a violation of their country's sovereignty while insisting they had no idea bin Laden was hiding on their soil.

Ordinary Pakistanis also were stunned by their military's seeming impotence during the incident, though the Pew surveys show that the army remains widely popular, or at least more popular than the country's civilian leadership.