By IANS
Islamabad : A public opinion poll that suggested an increase in Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf’s popularity since he stepped down as army chief and became a civilian president has one major flaw: the US-based organisation that claims to have conducted the poll does not exist.
A press release issued last week claimed that according to a survey conducted by the US-based International Public Opinion Polls (IPOP), 74 percent of those surveyed had said that Pervez Musharraf would get a boost in popularity as civilian president.
The comprehensive directory of polling and survey research organisations in the United States does not list any organisation by the name of IPOP, Daily Times said Monday.
Other than the Pakistan survey, IPOP has never conducted any other polls according to its website, information confirmed through an Internet search.
The IPOP website (www.ipublicpolls.com) carries no organisational details. The PDF version of the poll posted on the website says that IPOP is located in Boston, Massachusetts, and gives its zip code as 02106, which does not exist on the US Post Office’s website, the news paper said.
The press release also claimed that the survey was conducted in Pakistan’s major cities via Internet and telephone. Given the relatively limited access to the Internet and landline telephone service in Pakistan, the methodology cited remains suspect.
The IPOP poll also came up with the finding that 55 percent of those surveyed wanted Pakistan’s political parties to take part in an election under civilian President Pervez Musharraf.