85% in KP back expulsion of illegal Afghan refugees: survey

• 79% believe security will improve after repatriation.
• 41% see negative job impact from refugee influx.
• 62% approve KP govt's handling of Afghan refugees.
  

ISLAMABAD: A majority of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s residents support the federal government’s move to repatriate illegal Afghan refugees, according to a Gallup Pakistan survey.

The poll, which gathered responses from 3,000 individuals across the province, found that 85% backed the decision, 11% opposed it, and 4% did not respond, The News reported.

In the survey, 79% hoped for improvement in the security situation with the return of Afghan refugees, while 16% disagreed with this opinion. 5% did not answer the question.

On the question of improvement in economy of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after retuthe rn of Afghan refugees, 62% of citizens seemed to support this opinion. They said the economy of the province would improve after the return of refugees.

23% disagreed with this opinion, while 8% said it would not make any difference. 7% did not answer the question.

Public opinion was divided on the impact of arrival of Afghan refugees on jobs in the province. 41% said arrival of Afghan refugees had a negative impact on jobs, while 48% said it was positive.

62% praised performance of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government in organising Afghan refugees, while 27% called performance bad. 11% did not answer the question.

59% of citizens of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa seemed satisfied with performance of federal government. However, 35% expressed dissatisfaction. 6% did not answer the question.

The citizens of the province said local problems should be handled by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government instead of federal government.

In the survey, 37% said provincial government was better at solving local problems, while 13% said federal government was better.

For providing employment, 36% said KP government was better than federal. 14% said federal government was better.

For poverty alleviation, 34% said provincial government was better than federal government, while 35% said KP government was better. 12% said federal government was better.

For providing health facilities, 44% said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was better than federal, while 43% said provincial government was better. 13% said the federation was better.

58% rated performance of local governments in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as good, while 36% criticised the performance. 6% did not answer the question.

On the performance of local bodies, 66% were satisfied with provision of clean water, 61% with medical facilities and 58% with road repair. The difference between the percentage of people satisfied and dissatisfied with performance of local bodies in terms of sanitation arrangements, sewage drainage and maintenance of recreational places has decreased.