Anti-US sentiments rose in Pak post Osama's death

Islamabad, May 2 (ANI): A year after the death of Osama bin Laden in a U.S. Navy SEALs raid on his Abbottabad compound, Pakistan has witnessed a rise in anti-America sentiments, but also a simultaneous drop in support for the Al-Qaeda and its leader, according to a report.

A Pakistan intelligence official said the Abbottabad raid did not have a major impact on the incidence of terrorism in the country, but definitely increased anti-US sentiment amongst the public.

"Anti-US sentiments may not be rampant amongst the population, since there are no credible statistics to prove either way, but a remarkable rise in anti-US rhetoric by right-wing groups was witnessed post-bin Laden raid," The Express Tribune quoted the intelligence official, as saying.

According to the paper his remarks were echoed by defence analyst Brigadier (retd) Farooq Hameed Khan, who also served at the defence section of the Pakistan Embassy in Washington.

"There is no palpable rise in extremism since the bin Laden raid, but there has been a substantial increase in anti-American sentiment in Pakistan," the paper quoted Khan, as saying.

A year after the death of its leader, Al-Qaeda is widely unpopular among Muslim population in Pakistan.

A new poll by the Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Project, 21 percent of Pakistanis expressed confidence in bin Laden to do the right thing in world affairs in 2011, down from a high of 52 percent in 2005. (ANI)