WASHINGTON, Jan 7: The majority of Pakistanis want a larger role for both Islam and democracy in their country, but are deeply distrustful of the United States and its war on terror, says a survey released in Washington.

The in-depth survey of public opinion, conducted by a private surveyor called World Public Opinion for the government-funded US Institute for Peace and released on Monday, reveals the majority in Pakistan supports a moderate and democratic Islamic state.

Most Pakistanis want Islam to play a larger role in society. However, the majority also favours a more democratic political system, rejects ‘Talibanisation’, and supports recent government efforts to reform the Madressah system by focusing more on science and mathematics.

Few people have any sympathy for Muslim militant groups and most would like to see the Federally-Administered Tribal Areas integrated into Pakistan. There is, however, a small but significant minority that shows sympathy for Muslim militant groups.

The survey also found that opinions towards the United States are quite negative, apparently linked to a growing perception that the United States is hostile towards Islam and Muslims.

The survey finds strong public support for a wider role for Islam in Pakistan. Asked “How important is it for you to live in a country that is governed according to Islamic principles?” on a 10-point scale, 61 per cent give an answer of 10 (meaning “absolutely important”). The mean response is 9.0. However, asked the degree to which Pakistan is currently governed by Islamic principles, the mean score is just 4.6.

Sixty per cent want Sharia to play a larger role, “as compared to current Pakistan law,” than it does today.

The surveyors note that the support for Sharia playing a greater role may indicate desire for the civil courts to perform their functions more effectively rather than for a fundamental change.

At the same time a large majority of Pakistanis want Pakistan to be more democratic. Asked “How important it is to you to live in a country that is governed by representatives elected by the people” on a 10-point scale, the mean response is 8.4. Asked to rate Pakistan in this regard the mean score was just 4.8, though the polling was conducted just before emergency rule was imposed.

Interestingly, among the 60 per cent majority who support a larger role for Sharia compared to current Pakistani law, 64 per cent give the importance of democracy a 10 -- considerably higher than for those who do not favour more Sharia.