The US polling group, Pew Research Centre, has done a survey in Pakistan to determine how Pakistanis view the Taliban and other terrorist groups.

While the general public still views the Taliban as a threat, the survey found, they are regarded more favourably than last year.

The results indicated that US drone strikes had caused resentment and most Pakistanis want the US to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.

Just 15 per cent of Pew's respondents approved of the Taliban but 18 per cent expressed favorable views of al-Qaeda.

Last year, ten per cent of respondents approved of the Taliban and nine per cent approved of al-Qaeda.

The poll, which was taken in main urban areas, discovered that the number of Pakistanis calling the Taliban and al-Qaeda a serious threat had declined.

Fifty-one per cent of respondents said they were worried or very worried about extremist groups having control of the country, down from 69 per cent last year.

More than half of respondents called India their greatest threat.

The poll did not involve residents of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, which have seen most of the fighting between the government and armed groups from the Taliban and al-Qaeda.