ISLAMABAD: A recent Gallup Pakistan survey has revealed deep public dissatisfaction with the performance of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government, as 50 percent of respondents across the province rated Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s governance better than that of KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur – including 37 percent of PTI’s own voters.
Gallup Pakistan survey, conducted between February and March 2025 with face-to-face interviews of 3,000 individuals, highlights a growing trend of public trust shifting towards Punjab’s leadership.
Gallup’s findings indicate rising frustration in KP over governance, economy, and basic services, while the popularity of CM Gandapur continues to decline.
Only 63 percent of people have access to healthcare, with rural and southern KP areas showing worse conditions. Sixty-six percent lack gas access, and 49 percent face power shortages or unreliable supply.
Among the youth, the situation is even more alarming – 77 percent have no parks, 81 percent have no access to libraries, and 70 percent lack community centers.
Though PTI’s earlier years brought improvements in roads and transport, progress has slowed significantly since 2024. Just 43 percent acknowledged new roads, and 37 percent reported any improvement in transportation post-election.
Even among PTI supporters, forty-nine percent believe no significant development has occurred, while 52 percent claim development funds are lost to corruption.
The report further shows:
- 71 percent, including 62 percent PTI voters, support transparent investigations into mega projects.
- 59 percent blame the government for rising unemployment.
- 73 percent allege jobs are awarded based on connections, not merit.
- On security, 58 percent express satisfaction, but 57 percent still fear terrorism.
- Trust in the judiciary remains low, with 70 percent unhappy about delayed decisions, whereas the traditional Jirga system enjoys 84 percent approval.
- The Sehat Card healthcare scheme received 83 percent approval.
A striking 85 percent of respondents favour better cooperation with the federal government, while 60 percent believe KP’s government is wasting time on protests. Support for social media bans is high, with 80 percent in favour, and 75 percent distrusting social media content.
Additionally, eighty-five percent support the repatriation of Afghan refugees, believing it will improve security.
PTI, PML-N react to Gallup survey
KP’s Information Adviser Barrister Saif dismissed the survey findings, calling them a politically scripted narrative orchestrated at the behest of the federal government. He claimed the survey was based on assumptions and bore no connection to reality. “If Gallup were truly neutral,” he asked, “why does it not show the devastation in Punjab and the deprivation in southern Punjab?”
He further questioned why Gallup had not gauged public opinion on “bandits in Sindh’s Kacha area or Karachi’s filth.” According to Barrister Saif, political parties and their narratives are shaped by public votes – not by “fabricated surveys.” He likened the Gallup survey to a “snake in a peacock’s mouth,” and accused Maryam Nawaz of “spitting venom” through it.
Commenting on the issue of Afghan refugees and KP’s civic infrastructure, he dismissed the concerns highlighted in the report – such as lack of parks and libraries – as part of a theatrical script staged by a “fake government” promoting an illusion of Punjab as a business haven. “People know exactly who stole their mandate to come to power,” he said, claiming that surveys like Gallup’s were merely tactics to mislead the public. “Gallup is risking its credibility for a few coins,” he added, stating that controlling the popularity of Imran Khan and the PTI through surveys was nothing more than a daydream.
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari, reacting to the Gallup survey results, said the so-called “12-year change” in KP had been fully exposed. She noted that 73 percent of respondents had effectively charge-sheeted the Gandapur government, which reflects public dissatisfaction with the previous administration.
Commenting on Barrister Saif’s remarks, Bukhari said, “The situation in KP speaks for itself – it doesn’t need a survey. Those who danced to Gallup’s findings yesterday now seem offended when the truth is about them.”
She added that the people of KP have now recognised the reality of “fake revolutionary rhetoric and false promises.” Referring to Gallup’s findings that 71 percent, including PTI supporters, wanted transparent investigations into mega-projects, she said: “Even PTI’s own voters have acknowledged that development funds are being lost to corruption.”
Azma Bukhari concluded that Ali Amin Gandapur had emerged as the “chairman of the Loot-Mar Association,” and claimed his cabinet was complicit in the same.
