Islamabad: President Pervez Musharraf today dismissed the latest pre-poll survey, which claimed his popularity has dwindled in Pakistan, where a majority of the people believe the country would become stable if he resigned.

Almost half the respondents to a just released BBC poll said they thought Musharraf's controversial re-election in October last year, while he was still army chief, was not valid.

Only 25 per cent of respondents in the survey said that security would get worse if Musharraf were to quit, while 64 per cent of respondents said stability and security would improve if he "were to resign now".

Only 29 per cent of Pakistanis regarded Musharraf s oath-taking as president last November as valid while 49 per cent said it was invalid. However, Musharraf was quick to take a swipe at foreign pollsters who have conducted surveys which showed a sharp fall in his popularity ahead of the February 18 election.

"Surveys and polls by foreign organisations have some value in developing countries like Pakistan but they are not final," he said in an address to the National Library here. Such surveys were not representative as they focussed on small groups in urban areas and were conducted by bodies that were always criticising the government and the President, he said today.

"Do not incite trouble in Pakistan by prejudging election results. Let the results speak for themselves. This country is critical for the region and this region is critical for the world," Musharraf said.
Source : PTI