In recent years, there are few countries that have suffered more from terrorism than Pakistan.
Between 2000 and 2014, 14% of all global terrorist incidents (pdf) have occurred in Pakistan—only less than Iraq, which witnessed 25% of these events—according to London-based think tank, Institute for Economics and Peace. And in the last two years alone, terrorists have killed over 4,000 people in the South Asian country.
Despite such an exposure to deadly terrorism, most Pakistanis actually don’t have a definite view on ISIL—the extremist terrorist group behind the Paris attacks last week that killed 129 people and injured hundreds. Last month, the Pakistani Taliban openly pledged its support to ISIL.
In a recent poll by the Pew Research Centre, 62% of respondents indicated that they did not have an opinion on the organisation. This is in stark contrast to the 10 other Muslim-majority nations that Pew also surveyed during its annual global poll in April and May this year.
(Due to rounding off, percentages in the chart above may not total 100%)
“In no country surveyed did more than 15% of the population show favourable attitudes toward Islamic State,” Pew’s Jacob Poushter wrote. “And in those countries with mixed religious and ethnic populations, negative views of ISIS cut across these lines.”