WASHINGTON, July 28: The United States appears to be losing ground in the fight for public opinion in Pakistan, the government-run Voice of America radio reported on Thursday.

The radio notes that Karen Hughes, a close adviser to President Bush, who this week takes on the job for promoting America’s image abroad will face one of the toughest challenges in Pakistan.

As the under-secretary of state for public diplomacy, Ms Hughes will be Washington’s top public relations official, particularly for the Muslim world where America wants to be seen as friendly to the Muslim people.

“Thousands of demonstrators burn American flags and curse the United States as they march through the streets of Islamabad,” says the report, describing the alleged desecration of the Holy Quran in Guantanamo Bay as a ‘bruising step backward’ for US diplomats struggling to improve America’s reputation in Pakistan.

VOA quotes Greg Crouch, a spokesman for the US Embassy in Islamabad, as saying that challenging false allegations before they become accepted as facts, like those about the desecration of the Holy Quran, was the key to gaining public support in Pakistan.

“Everyday I read something that completely misrepresents our policy,” he said. “The United States is demonized in the press… what we’re trying to do is cut through that misinformation. Show people who we really are, what motivates us, what is the context for our foreign policies…”

He says the US Embassy is launching an ambitious education programme to reintroduce and redefine America in Pakistan.

In May, Washington expanded its development assistance to Pakistan, providing almost $150 million to improve local schools, health centres and businesses. This month, the embassy announced another $100 million to pay for 1,000 Pakistanis to study in the United States. New libraries stocked with books about American history and culture, are also being built in major cities across Pakistan.

But Mr Crouch says the programmes will only work if people participate, and that can be difficult given the current political climate.

“We had many parents of high school students who have actually told their children not to participate in these programmes because there is so much suspicion and in some cases fear about what America is,” he added.

But critics of the programmes say the American campaign misses the point.

Pakistani political commentator Ayaz Amir says people resent America’s war on terror and its military actions, which have focused on only two Muslim countries — Iraq and Afghanistan. He says new schools and scholarships won’t change the way people see the United States.

A recent survey suggests America is actually losing ground in Pakistan. Polling by the Pew Global Attitudes Project found more than 50 per cent of Pakistan is sympathetic to Osama bin Laden. That is up six per cent in the last two years.

US officials insist they are on the right track in Pakistan but are hindered by factors beyond their control.

Embassy officials say security concerns keep them from travelling beyond the US compound and developing stronger ties with their local counterparts.