The study is based on surveys carried out by four academics from Princeton, Georgetown and the University of Pennsylvania that conducted extensive field research in Pakistan by interviewing 6,000 people of varying income groups and geography. The report states that Pakistanis, in general, do not like militant groups such as the al Qaeda and the Pakistani or Afghan Taliban. It also maintains that poor Pakistanis dislike militant groups more than the middle classes. The study suggests people who hate militants the most are the urban poor because they’re the ones who are affected by terror attacks the most.
The US has provided more than $20 billion in aid to Pakistan since 9/11, out of which about $6 billion, has gone for development of Pakistan’s civilian economy and society. The US believes that by bringing Pakistan’s poorest out of poverty and despair, fewer young men will move towards terrorism.