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'Bin Laden is not dead' and other conspiracy theories

'Bin Laden is not dead' and other conspiracy theories

When bin Laden was killed by US Navy SEAL Team Six last year, it was considered a 'drama' by 66% of Pakistanis!

Abdul Majeed May 02, 2012

During a discussion with some fellow medical students, I was astounded to observe that they thought 9/11 was a Jewish conspiracy and that al Qaeda is just a figment of some people's imagination. I found it surprising how most of them did not know the origins and genesis of al Qaeda, one of the largest terrorist organizations in the world.

The aim of writing this post is not to launch a tirade against the conspiracy theory culture prevalent in our society. It is to discuss a couple of popular controversies and try to provide some answers to the much debated questions. The authors I have mentioned are the ones whose work is considered best by several independent bodies.

1. Osama bin Laden was not killed in the Abbottabad operation

It has been a whole year since the operation that killed bin Laden in Abbottabad, and a majority of Pakistanis still do not believe it ever happened.

Nicholas Schmidle, winner of 2008 Kurt Schork Awards in International Journalism, wrote a detailed article named "Getting Bin Laden: What happened that night in Abbottabad" in The New Yorker on August 8, 2011. That article is one of the most comprehensive accounts of the Abbottabad operation till date. Regarding the planning of the operation, the article mentions:

In late 2010, Obama ordered Panetta to begin exploring options for a military strike on the compound. Panetta contacted Vice-Admiral Bill McRaven, the SEAL in charge of JSOC. In January, 2011, McRaven asked a JSOC official named Brian, who had previously been a DEVGRU (Naval Special Warfare Development Group) deputy commander, to present a raid plan.

On March 14th, 2011, Obama called his national-security advisers into the White House Situation Room and reviewed a spreadsheet listing possible courses of action against the Abbottabad compound. Most were variations of either a JSOC raid or an airstrike. At the end of the meeting, Obama instructed McRaven to proceed with planning the raid.

About the SEAL team, the article states:

During the ninety-minute helicopter flight, James and his teammates rehearsed the operation in their heads. Since the autumn of 2001, they had rotated through Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, and the Horn of Africa, at a brutal pace.

The Abbottabad raid was not DEVGRU’s maiden venture into Pakistan, either. The team had surreptitiously entered the country on ten to twelve previous occasions. Most of those missions were forays into North and South Waziristan, where many military and intelligence analysts had thought that bin Laden and other al Qaeda leaders were hiding. (Only one such operation—the September, 2008, raid of Angoor Ada, a village in South Waziristan—has been widely reported.) Abbottabad was, by far, the farthest that DEVGRU had ventured into Pakistani territory. It also represented the team’s first serious attempt since late 2001 at killing “Crankshaft”—the target name that the Joint Special Operations Command, or JSOC, had given bin Laden.

Regrading the Killing of Osama bin Laden, it says:

The Americans hurried toward the bedroom door. The first SEAL pushed it open. Two of bin Laden’s wives had placed themselves in front of him. Amal al-Fatah, bin Laden’s fifth wife, was screaming in Arabic. She motioned as if she were going to charge; the SEAL lowered his sights and shot her once, in the calf. Fearing that one or both women were wearing suicide jackets, he stepped forward, wrapped them in a bear hug, and drove them aside.

A second SEAL stepped into the room and trained the infrared laser of his M4 on bin Laden’s chest. The al Qaeda chief, who was wearing a tan shalwar kameez and a prayer cap on his head, froze; he was unarmed. “There was never any question of detaining or capturing him—it wasn’t a split-second decision. No one wanted detainees,” the special-operations officer told me. Nine years, seven months, and twenty days after September 11th, an American was a trigger pull from ending bin Laden’s life. The first round, a 5.56-mm. bullet, struck bin Laden in the chest. As he fell backward, the SEAL fired a second round into his head, just above his left eye. On his radio, he reported, “enemy killed in action.”

Hearing this at the White House, Obama pursed his lips, and said solemnly, to no one in particular, “We got him”.

2. Al Qaeda is a “western propaganda”

Lawrence Wright, in his 2007 Pulitzer-prize winning book, The Looming Tower: al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 has described the genesis and evolution of al Qaeda and the ideas upon which it was formed along with its operations around the world - including 9/11.

Lawrence Wright has given detailed biographies of Sayyid Qutb, the ideological father of al Qaeda, Sheikh Abdullah Azzam, the founder of al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, the face of al Qaeda, Muhammed Atta, the pilot of one of the 9/11 planes and Ayman al Zawahiri, the current head of al Qaeda operations. Some important points mentioned in the book include:

Sayyid Qutb in his book Milestones had openly announced that he considered Muslims living under democracy as belonging to “Jahiliyya”, the tribal pagan society that existed in Arab Peninsula before the advent of Islam. This was a clear message of Takfeer. (one Muslim declaring another Muslim a disbeliever)

Sheikh Abdullah Azzam and other Saudi fighters had not participated as such in the war and still claimed to have “defeated a super power”. Their contribution to the war was negligible.

Ayman al Zawahiri was an adherent of Sayyid Qutb’s philosophy and his previous organization namely “al Jihad” was involved in the assassination of Anwar Saadat. Later, al Jihad was merged into al Qaeda and was involved in murder of both Abdullah Azzam and Ahmad Shah Massoud.

Al Qaeda was formed in Pakistan in August 1988. The book noted:

The mentioned al Qaeda is basically an organised Islamic faction, its goal is to "lift the word of God, to make His religion victorious," the secretary recorded in his minutes of the first meeting. The founders divided the military work, as they termed it, into two parts: “limited duration,” in which the Arabs would be trained and placed with Afghan mujahideen for the remainder of the war; and “open duration,” in which “they enter a testing camp and the best brothers of them are chosen.” The graduates of this second camp would become members of the new entity, al Qaeda.

3. The 9/11 twin towers attack

Jason Burke, author of On the Road to Kandahar and 9/11 Wars said that after 9/11, history of the last 30 years can be divided into a “pre-9/11” and a “post-9/11” world. The planes flown by al Qaeda members not only hit the twin towers killing thousands of innocent people, they also dug the goldmine for conspiracy theorists around the world.

A science and technology magazine named Popular Mechanics published a report based on the most famous conspiracy theories about 9/11 in March 2005 and debunked them using critical analysis and interviews with experts. The report is named “Debunking the 9/11 Myths”.

There are also various documentaries about the incident, apart from the infamous “Loose Change" whose first part was popularised in Pakistan, but the others were never discussed.

[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1PyNt_dhiA]]

4. Jews are planning the downfall of Muslims

Tarek Fatah in his book, The Jew is Not My Enemy: Unveiling the Myths that Fuel Muslim Anti-Semitism tried to trace the roots of the widespread anti-Semitism in Muslim countries, especially Pakistan. He noted that anti-Semitism gained roots in the Islamic world after the conquest of European territories by Muslim Conquerors. The Christians who converted to Islam brought with them anti-Semitism rooted in the history of Christianity. The book also examines how anti-Semitism was used by people such as the aforementioned Sayyid Qutb to harness their anti-Shia sentiments.

Sadly, the problem facing our society is not just a widespread belief in conspiracy theories, it is also the way educated people embrace these theories and add twists to them. After every national disaster, a new conspiracy theory emerges; the most recent example being of Zaid Hamid, who following the Siachen tragedy, posted a video alleging Indians of deliberately causing an avalanche.

[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knuJ-LevkdA&list=UUpjldgul1pMZJpiL09j8JxA&index=2&feature=plpp_video]]

This ignorance is not a novel phenomenon. When Osama bin Laden was killed by US Navy SEAL Team Six, it was considered a “drama” by 66% of Pakistanis. Pakistanis in general are more willing to believe in conspiracy theories as opposed to facts. This may be because these theories provide a feasible explanation of events in a narrow frame of reference.

Read more by Majeed here, or follow him on twitter @abdulmajeedabid

WRITTEN BY:
Abdul Majeed A final year medical student with interests in history, political economy and literature. He blogs at http://abdulmajeedabid.blogspot.com/ and tweets as @abdulmajeedabid

The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necassarily reflect the views and policies of the Express Tribune.

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COMMENTS (54)

Natasha | 12 years ago | Reply @Author: You are to conspiracies what atheists are to religion. Are you so narrow-minded that you cannot even for a second consider the slightest possibility of the truth being different from what you believe it to be? You believe in facts. What is a 'fact' when it comes to global incidents? It is a compilation of reports from other people. People just like you and me. How easy is it then to play around with a fact? I am not a firm believer in conspiracy theories. Neither am I a firm believer in man-made 'facts'. Whether you are a die-hard believer in conspiracy theories or a die-hard believer of what concerned authorities say are facts, remember one thing: extremism goes both ways.

Sexton Blake | 12 years ago | Reply Apart from one or two exceptions these contributors have come up with with some very intelligent comments. Arguably, the best in a long time. The reason many people come up with alternative viewpoints, as somebody else has mentioned, is that politicians in every country are becoming trusted less and less. That is because they issue disinformation all the time. This also includes America. Many Americans do not trust the Washington Government, although there are still a surprising number of totally conditioned people who do. What has really happened is that Governments make very bad decisions, and now there are more and more well educated people questioning those decisions. To counter this Governments, and America started it, use the term Conspiracy Theory, in a sneering way, to do a put down. Unfortunately, the media of various kinds, who do not do any serious investigation of their own usually support the Government. It is so much easier for low grade journalists to sneer at well meaning people with the term Conspiracy Theorist as a put down, and invariably it seems to work and people back off. I do not back off. If people ask me if I am being a Conspiracy Theorist I reply that I am a Factual Theorist, and I do not believe the nonsense that Governments and their faithful media keep serving up to us. Thus, if America could produce Osama Bin Laden's body I would believe the Abbottabad operation was successful. I believe that Al Qaeda exists, but not everything they are accused of. If the Americans had found Nukes in Iraq they would be half way believable. The Oklahoma bombing and the 9/11 explanations do not appear plausible. I will not go into the Jewish thing too far, but after 1945 everybody felt sorry for the Jews, but since then Tel Aviv seems to have gone out of its way to make many enemies. It is not to late to make the world a better place, but bombing, killings, and drones do not make for a happy lifestyle. Although there will always be evil people around, if the West, and others, had spent the wasted military trillions on helping the less well endowed countries and exhibited a little less arrogance I would suggest there would be, at the very least, a lot more peace in the world, together with a much better living standard. Unfortunately, such a theory is only "pie in the sky".

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Anoop | 12 years ago | Reply @Nobody: Ah, how much I've missed you. You assume that I read only Pakistani Newspapers. FYI, I am a frequent visitor to many Newspapers, which this too is one of many. You sound like you cant handle an opinion which is different than your own. Well, get used to it, because Internet doesn't have a blasphemy law. It doesn't consider anyone an Ahmadi. When I go and read my own comment, what I've said offended you. I wonder why. Truth, they say, hurts? I am sure if I were to assume a Pakistani sounding name and say the same thing you(I assume you are a liberal) will applaud me or at the least agree with me. You don't have a problem with me, but possibly my nationality? Trusts me, if these Conspiracy Theories weren't brainwashing ordinary people to hate my own Country, I'd not have bothered. For instance, there are many conspiracy theories which talk about Aliens. I am not bothered because it doesn't affect me. But, when people say 26/11 is an Indian conspiracy and Kasab is innocent it burns me up. I don't want to get in too much into all these. If you have a sensible rejoinder, do go ahead and state it.

Nobody | 12 years ago | Reply @Anoop: "Unfortunately or fortunately, I don’t have to worry too much about it as, Pakistan is not my Country, Pakistanis are not my fellow citizens. Thank God for that!" If you have such feelings of disdain towards your neighboring countrymen than why do you spent an inordinate amount of time reading a Pakistani newspaper, and even more time commentingon its content? It's your right to read, comment, say, do what you want; however, if you hold yourself in such high esteem (or so you think), try contributing something of value, as opposed to your usual vitriolic sentiments. If all Indians were like you, I would "thank God" India is not my country and Indians are not my fellow citizens. Luckily, I know many Indians who are dear to me and they are nothing like you. Do YOUR fellow citizens a favor and express yourself in a classier, more elegant way; most would appreciate it. Cheers.

Cautious | 12 years ago | Reply The one thing all conspiracy theorist have in common -- they never let facts get in the way of a good bias. It's a shame that by the time you get to medical school your still ignorant enough to believe that 911 was a Jewish conspiracy or that OBL is still alive. Of course in Pakistan your lawyers (and future judges) protested the death of OBL and called him a hero - and that says everything.

Balahr | 12 years ago | Reply Conspiracy theories only develop because it is apparent that there is something wrong with the official story. People are becoming aware of how the mass media industry operates - partial and biased reporting rather than impartial facts and news editors following the agenda of the owner. Corporate news agencies are no longer trusted, especially after the partisan reporting in Libya. This is the fault of the news agencies. In the case of Bin Laden, release of photographic evidence and independent DNA profiling, etc, was essential. The Burden of Proof lies with the US and Pakistan authorities to demonstrate that the assassination actually happened. Ridiculing people who believe conspiracy theories is a logical fallacy; ad hominem attacks which do not address their arguments. This is especially true when attacking the beliefs of local people who are obviously in possession of local knowledge. The fact that there is a conspiracy theory means only that people are interested in full disclosure of facts and have become disgruntled with official PR. People should make up their minds only when in possession of the full data.

desi | 12 years ago | Reply @harish: LMAO! good one

Hassam Tahir | 12 years ago | Reply @Kk: Do you have any evidence that the twin towers architect said that? You obviously don't cause it's just what you heard. Same are all the things you said things you just heard. give one factual evidence

dr.Shafaq | 12 years ago | Reply Well i wasted my 15mins just to infer that Zaid hamid is alleging Indians for the Avalanche.

rafazliban | 12 years ago | Reply oh the problems the problems the problems facing our society. Jeez man, every good thing about Pakistanis is seen as a problem. Not a well written article at all. Soon, people will be calling Islam backwards too just like how Americans are planting these seeds here and so called "open minded" pakistanis like you will call it a yet another "oh the problem in our society..." #SHAME

rafazliban | 12 years ago | Reply oh my God. I cant believe there are people like this author who belive whatever Americans dictate. Obviously,its a propaganda against Pakistan. Gosh man, u should realize by now the price we are praying for this 9/11. We didnt do it. American govt is no different from hollywood-everything there is preplanned. But yes, I am proud of the fact that Pakistanis in general are more self aware about various happenings more than anyone else around them and even if an americanized pakistani like yourself and comes a big article stating american sources and facts, well, we are still DISbeliever and always wanting to learn the truth.

Pan Mat | 12 years ago | Reply @Arsalan: "There is a reason behind it. We are fortunate as compared to Americans that we have access to various points of views especially when it comes to Muslims" Even publicly elected representatives of National Assembly do not have access to details of spending of military budget. Your defense minister learns about events from media (mostly western) for the policies that should ideally be approved from his office. Few other contradictions of Pakistan 1) No army general has ever been held accountable but an elected Prime Minister has been executed and few others jailed. 2) The conspiracies theories will have more meaning if Pakistan has ever presented any evidence to rest of the world. 3) About the justice system, the Lal Masjid epidoe was telecasted live on TV with several military personnel killed in that incident. The cleric was caught live trying to escape from the premises, the testimony of Chinese that were kidnapped is still on the file. Was justice delivered or was there any hue or cry? 4) there were mass rallies for the killings done by Raymond Davis. One of the family members of the victims went berserk and killed the widow of a man shot by Raymonf Davis. Did you raise any voice or felt alarmed? Why this selective concern for value of a human life? Or is it a double standard?

politicaly incorrect | 12 years ago | Reply @eff You have successfully knocked your opponents (the Pak bashers) down. You are gasping.Take a glass of water and chill.

eff | 12 years ago | Reply Oh, I just love how all articles about Pakistanis (and the comments underneath) just generalise everything and make us all look like idiots! Oh yes, make no mistake, we are a nation of 180 million brain dead, war mongering, conspiracy theory believing, blood thirsty zombies! Did you know all those world class doctors, engineers, business executives and accountants we churn out every year are actually posers? Ah yes, they are highly trained impersonators, capable of assuming the persona of any profession they deem fit. Deep down inside they harbour immense hatred for all who are human. They even hate themselves and would do at nothing to harm themselves! How's that for a conspiracy theory? Oh wait (and before someone else says it), this is not a conspiracy theory because everyone believes it! And my point for the irreverant rant? Stop with the Pakistan-bashing already! We are sick and tired of being made to look like fools because of a few dirty fish in our pond! And yes, I can already see people sharpening their knives looking forward to shoot down my comment with an irreverant ant-Pakistan rant of their own! So I'll stop now, it's their turn now! :)

Pakistan politics | 12 years ago | Reply ISI official talks about OBL raid and recent developments in its context. http://707monty.blogspot.com/2012/05/pakistan-isi-intelligence-official.html

Shridhar | 12 years ago | Reply Even Al Qaeda confirmed bin Laden’s death and released a statement congratulating “the Islamic nation” on “the martyrdom of its good son Osama.”, then where is the room for confusion and conspiracy theories.. unless someone suggesting us that even Al Qaeda is in American hands...

Zaki Khalid | 12 years ago | Reply Nicholas Schmidle is also an NAF event director and is highlighted there for his celebrated New Yorker article on the alleged killing of Osama bin Laden. For the article he had extraordinary access to national security officials and special operations members either involved or closely linked. Disinformation and propaganda are basic tools of special operations and CIA-paid writers. Significantly, his Marine father, Robert E. "Rooster" Schmidle, Jr., is a former general in special operations and is now a Lt. General serving as deputy commander of Cyber Command. Details: http://www.terminalx.org/2011/08/tx-report-how-cia-funded-nicholas.html

Usman Shahid | 12 years ago | Reply This blog is also a conspiracy theory because without any fact, author accepted western conspiracies :) Just a joke :)

Cosmo | 12 years ago | Reply @hassan ejaz wyne: Ha ha ha, Killing osama was the solution. 1. Osama was dead inside and so torture wouldnt hav earned much to usa. 2. Capturing and keeping him alive would have invited more terrorist attacks. 3. ISI + alquaida would have conspired to hijack planes to free osama. 4. Last but not least it would have given pakistan more leverage to exploite usa.

Subish | 12 years ago | Reply Good Article... But this will trash by another theory... Ever wonder why so much of ill-mind, conspiracy is spreading? It is in one's character... And character is derived while the childhood. I want everyone to browse back your history text books @ lower / higher schools and compare it with history books written by other historians(else just compare with Wikipedia at least) • Stop teaching conspiracy theories while school! • Parents should bring gender equality in home so that children will learn every man / women are equal and have the right to live • Keep a small room for your prayers and encourage your children to keep it within the room / mind and no need to talk / fight for it • If parents are not able to bring up their every children with the values mentioned above due to poverty or other busy livelihood, better stop breeding them. Limit children to one or two whom you can manage Yes I am not a Pakistani, but your neighbour and cannot laugh when a neighbour is in trouble.

Ch Allah Daad | 12 years ago | Reply Al-Quaida is an Arab organization. No Pakistani or non Arab is member of its top hierarchy. However for missions, Al-Quaida has used Pakistanis, Afghans and other Non Arabs. This is one of the reasons, Pakistanis have little knowledge or confused about Al-Quiada.

Adil | 12 years ago | Reply First of all, I would like to tell that I am also a Pakistani and a Muslim and currently live in Canada. Plus,it's wrong to say that it's just Pakistanis or Muslims who believe and propagate 9/11 conspiracy theories. I won't talk about Loose Change but let me ask something. Are Alex Jones,Jessie Ventura,David Icke and Michael Moore also Muslims,Arabs or Pakistanis?Ever heard of Fahrenheit 9/11?Was it also made by Zaid Hamid? (FYI I consider ZH a fraud and annoying person)Ventura has been a Governor in the past and he knows how government and establishment in USA work,fool and play their games. The truth is that when it comes to 9/11 be it official theories or conspiracy theories, they all show differences and discrepancies among each other. I am totally against the theory of Jews not coming at work on that tragic morning....but it's also true that many Americans have got no good knowledge about societies in other parts of the planet. Russia Today has done a great amount of work in that regard by showing alternative news and things which mainstream Western media usually don't want to show or highlight.Where were Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq?Even during my college days many of my classmates (from different racial backgrounds) used to say that this all War On Terror is just a waste of time and money, and George W. Bush is a monster whenever there were any discussion about 9/11 or WOT in our classes. My teacher for Philosophy who was a White person used to say that no matter what Saddam Hussain did,he was the lesser of two evils when compared to Bush and what they have done with Iraqi citizens. And can you not forget the massacre and destruction in Libya and how the country is now being run by NATO backed rebels who are actually militants and criminals? Apart from that, this all WOT has indeed taken a religious colour,both in Muslim and the Western world. Many missionaries in US supported War on Iraq and they used it as a medium to christianize local masses there. See the disturbing news article http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvO575U-25g Moreover, there are Christian Zionists who support the creation and protection of Israel as a religious duty since as per their beliefs,Jesus Christ Alayhis Salam will not descend until all Jews come together within the sacred State/Kingdom of Israel. They have a group named Jews for Jesus which's actually a Missionary organization and to counter that Orthodox Jews came up with their own organiaion titled Jews for Judaism in order to protect Jewish legacy and civilization from Christian missionaries and their tactics.In Muslim world,there are numerous videos and websites that talk about arrival of Imam Mahdi in Afghanistan or Khorasan region and Jesus Christ (A.S.) coming down on earth to annihilate all Jews.There was this famous speaker who's now dead,and he asked all the Muslims to establish Khilafat and accept Mullah Omar as their Khalifa Nauzubillah.Exceptional and rational scholars such as Ghulam Ahmed Pervaiz and Jawed Ahmed Ghamidi have always been declared as Fitnas by our traditional Mullahs. So I am against both i.e. USA's aggression and Mullahs' tantrums and hatemongering.

bigsaf | 12 years ago | Reply

Osama bin Laden was not killed in the Abbottabad operation

Musharraf said kidney failure. I believe him. Like I believed his fantastic lie on super patriot and ISI asset Omar Saeed Sheikh being an MI-6 agent gone rogue. Btw, Daniel Pearle was Jewish...just saying...connect the dots, blink your eyes very fast on the wall and you'll see something! And those OBL kids who were born after...stem cells from failed kidney. Wives are actually Yemeni female clones of OBL. Pak is at forefront of medicine. Don't be poisoned by foreign pharmaceuticals when we can make own tainted products.

Al Qaeda is a “western propaganda”

Absolutely. Iraq is west of us, isn't it? Sunni Awakening Councils, Shia pilgrims bombings...please, we don't believe in sects, hum sub bhai bhai hai! Besides sectarianism is by RAW. Baluchistan: RAW. Mobile thief: RAW. Finger cut: silly, finger cuts happen by kitchen knives and paper...made in China (by CIA and Mossad).

9/11 twin towers attack

Don't joke...Israelis did it. See, they don't like US too. So obvious like, Zionism, bro...like, seriously. We just want the US army destroyed in Afghanistan by Taliban, so we can have a Taliban Khilafat again where both men and women are 'equally' oppressed and kill any Hindu that tries to sneak through the back-door...Afghanistan will be heaven again!

Jews are planning the downfall of Muslims

Better believe it, brother, Haram Hollywood shows are corrupting youth making them commit suicide with girls who rejected them. Who's the Nazi now?! What? You say we watch Urdu TV? Biggest Zionist propaganda are Private Pakistani channels: Hum TV, Geo, Indus, ARY, etc. Stick with PTV, even if it is run by godless ethnic secularists.

Raza | 12 years ago | Reply It addresses some common conspiracy theories, some of his explanations with which I agree, and some that I dont completely deny or accept. But the article does not seem much neutral, considering the fact that it mentions only the Western and jewish point of view. It only "advocates" the other sides views. Similarly, In the end it only mentions a flase feeling of antisemitism in muslims. It fails to mention the jewish fact called Israel. How a mass exodus of Muslims and Christians took place in Palestine, how thousands were massacred at the hands of jews, how many were rendered homeless, mosques burnt and even now Muslims are being brutally forced to leave their homes, their homes being demolished and jewish settlements being built on them. Even president Obama . These are the main factors behind modern Muslim hatred of Israel, as opposed to the christian view. Even the US, a very close ally of Israel, had to pressurize Israel not to infringe Palestinian Human rights. So you see, other than providing some useful insight into the Osama operation, its pretty much a piece of crap =P

Albert Kahn | 12 years ago | Reply Yes, you must listen to the COMPLETE TRUTH by America. It is true that cavemen managed to avoid all security, hijacked a plane and melted three skyscrapers with two planes (the fire balls even exchanged elevators as they moved down). Then when the innocent US demanded the ugly terrorist Ben Laden, the Taliban refused and invited US to Afghanistan to play war games, as they got bored of peace and government in Afghanistan. (However, as we all know, Satan and anti-christ are helping Taliban, its hard to win war games) Ben Laden, the guilty guy (who died once in 2001, and then in 2006) was killed (again) in a mansion in Pakistan, while he was unarmed (but killing him was necessary as it was impossible to catch him alive). He was later thrown in the sea, because Mother Nature herself told Obama, that the sea was where OBL will rest in peace and wont resurrect again. Now, anyone who does not believe in these TRUE FACTS is a TERRORIST, and those who do are peace loving, UNBIASED like the writer. :)

Loneliberal PK | 12 years ago | Reply I agree with what you wrote, but it's too wordy for most people to read. Most paranoid conspiracy theorists have a pretty short attention span, especially when dealing with facts opposing their world-view.

Reasonable | 12 years ago | Reply @ author Good one that one from Zaid Hamid put up few more links to these kind of comic theories I am a big fan of Zaid Hamid he is very entertaining.

faraz | 12 years ago | Reply @Aamna So CIA has brainwashed his 3 wives and 14 children into believing that there were living in Abbottabad for 6 years and that Ladin was killed on 2 May? Cant you simply connect the dots. Conspiratorial mindset has paralyzed our generation

M Ali Khan | 12 years ago | Reply Leave aside the whole "Qaum ki beta" and "Qaum ka mard" antics OBL became our uninvited "Qaum ka ghar damaad".

Peace | 12 years ago | Reply its good that showing complete Pakistan with indian-occupied Kashmir , which is seldom ignored by the indian-hypnotized media.

Critical | 12 years ago | Reply Why Pakistanis believe more in conspiracy theories than real facts? It all starts with the formation of their country..It broke from India with the reason that Muslims cannot live with Hindus,but majority of muslims didnt migrate from India as they believed. The rulers were afraid that Pakistanis might unite with India after realising that two-nation theory is not giving any benefit. So they started modifying the history by projecting looters like Bin Qasim,Mohammed Ghazni,Mohammed Ghori as heroes while ignoring secular kings like Sallaudin,Akbar,Tipu Sultan to manufacture hate towards Hindus. The entire freedom struggle was rewritten to make Pakistanis believe that Hindus were scheming with British and Pakistan was formed to save Muslims from Hindus.. After freedom,Pakistan attacked India in 1948,1965,1971 and 1999 and were defeated everytime..But They informed their citizens that it was India who attacked and Pakistan army were able to defeat them everytime... Now,an average Pakistani citizen grows up believing that what he read in school is the truth.When he confronts the actual history,he is being advised that India has rewritten the history to malign Pakistan...So he starts shunning the truth As he continues to do it,he becomes resistant to any other news outside Pakistan and label them as anti-Pakistan bashing done by Hindus and Jewish lobby...He starts to believe in conspiracy theories as they're close to what he learnt as truth... Zaid Hamid has created a career out of creating conspiracy theory,even though he has no credentials to analyse the world affairs... Pakistanis need to come out of the shell to accept truth and learn that conspiracy theory is like a drug,may give u a high for sometime but is injurious to you

AM | 12 years ago | Reply To quote Professor C M Naim, "Conspiracy theories naturally abound in these columns, with three dependable conspirators: America, India (i.e. Bharat in Urdu; never Hindustan), and Israel. The labels may change and become CIA, RAW, and Mossad, or Nasara (the Christians), Hunud (the Hindus), and Yahud (the Jews), but their axis of evil remains unchanged. The alliteration of the last two—hunud andyahud—makes them a favourite and indivisible pair; they generate an assertion that no one questions in Urdu in Pakistan…." The complete article can be read at http://chagataikhan.blogspot.com/2009/08/cm-naim-on-pakistans-conspiracy.html?spref=tw

Nayla | 12 years ago | Reply Come on now. With the US's extensive history of invading (often on the pretense of "helping them") other countries, do you really think that they NEEDED to blow up their iconic towers, and kill 3,000 of their citizens, and cost themselves billions upon billions of dollars for the clean-up, rebuilding, and paying for survivors' medical expenses? Surely, if the US really just wanted to invade Afghanistan and Iraq, they could have come up with something a lot less financially damaging for them to give them an excuse to do it. THINK people. USE YOUR BRAINS.

AM | 12 years ago | Reply The Abbotabad Commission report will be released soon. That would soothe some of the commentators here.

AM | 12 years ago | Reply Well, If OBL was not killed, WHY was his WHOLE family in Pakistan? Why did Al Qaeda themselves announce it publicly? Why did the close contacts of OBL including a certain Hafiz Saeed, offer his namaz e Janaza? get over your delusions now people, sometimes the world does not work like we want it to. We have never been taught to QUESTION and to THINK. All we learn in schools is how to pass the exams. Research in this country is dead, any one willing to answer WHY? Whats the conspiracy behind that, I ask you? We would keep living in this misery that we are until WE START thinking..!! Period.

BlackJack | 12 years ago | Reply @Aamna: My friend, I don't know what Osama was wearing when he was caught and I am not interested in knowing; the fact is that you people WANT Osama to have not died in Abottabad, so any amount of proof will fall short. As far as having backup - I am sure that any backup would have attracted a lot of attention; further, he was living in a garrison town with a huge military presence; logically the military (of which elements had to have helped him get this far) should have got wind of any operation to search the area - it is still rather surprising that they didn't. However, let us deduce the truth step-by-step: (1) Is Osama dead or alive: Unless he has caught Alzheimer's or is already in American captivity, I am sure you would agree that he would have come out to refute the claims of his death. His organization has agreed that he his dead. His wives who seem to have assumed that the bearded guy living with them in Abottabad for 5+ years was Osama seem to think he is dead. So let us assume that he is dead. (2) Did he die before the Abottabad raid: Is there any proof that he died before May 2nd 2011? There was no such rumour before - and he was recording his shows whenever possible for his fans like you. If you cannot provide proof that he died before the raid, then (based on (1) and (2) that leaves the only option that he died during the raid. See - that wasn't so tough :). All other questions such as why did the Americans not take him alive, where is his body and who is the guy who posed for his corpse thus become secondary.

Nadir | 12 years ago | Reply I guess Ahmed Mukhtar and the ISI officials giving interviews to the foreign press are also in on the conspiracy now that they are claiming that the government of Pakistan and Pakistan Army were involved in his death. So will everyone above who claims that this is all a US conspiracy now also agree that the Pakistan Army is also conspiring against the people of Pakistan?

Usman Shahid | 12 years ago | Reply @author: Osama Bin Ladin was killed in abbottabad or not, was he living there or not, i have no idea, even i lived in abbottabad. There is no fact available, all are rumours and stories. You want to believe it, believe it.

Anoop | 12 years ago | Reply If you disprove one Conspiracy Theory, you disprove another. Example: Osama was not in Abottabad. But, what were his family doing there? Would not the ISI point out if the family had said otherwise? If Osama's family is also fictional, well, why were they transported to Saudi Arabia? Can you send fictional characters to another Country? Why did Saudi Arabia respond that the family members are innocent, if they received fictional characters? Okay, that one was easy to disprove. So, if Osama was indeed alive, then Al Qaeda was too, since everyone knows Osama,in several videos he has broadcasted of himself lecturing, tutoring fellow Jihadis; has addressed himself as a Jihadi or a Mujahideen. So, his connection to Al Qaeda is proved by Laden himself! As a result, Al Qaeda is a true fact. So, 2 conspiracy theories down, many thousand more to go. But, I am tired. An empty, hate-filled mind will believe what it wants to. Unfortunately, there are many such minds in Pakistan, even people who are studying to be Doctors(God help their future patients). Unfortunately or fortunately, I don't have to worry too much about it as, Pakistan is not my Country, Pakistanis are not my fellow citizens. Thank God for that!

sajjan | 12 years ago | Reply @ Kk - seriously?? US had to destroy twin towers,its symbol of economy only because it had to attack countries like iraq and afghanistan?? now i know why people like zaid hamids are so popular in pakistan.GOD bless pakistan.

Aamna | 12 years ago | Reply Blackjack and Hala, LOL well I must appreciate our perspectives.As for the blog I'd say all we demand is a proof if OBL was actually residing in Abbotabad without his Al-Qaeda fanatics, waiting to welcome his American adversaries in a ''tan shalwar kameez'' and with his ladies. Obviously a man like him would've backup.Plus Americans hold even the most inappropriate suspects in Guantanamo Bay just for interrogation about their further plans.Why would they kill on-spot a person like Bin Laden? And even if they killed and American officials watched the whole operation live, if they put that coverage on Youtube alone, it would hit millions of hits.And if we would be just blind supporters of conspiracy theories yet demanding proof of Hafiz Saeed's slaughtered head's price is legit just as we demand proof of Bin Laden's body. I hope we wont be ambushed with his Fake ruptured eye socket's picture which is obviously an edition of Bin Laden's photo fused in bloody head of an American fugitive terminated and his photo is still on FBI or CIA 's website FYI.The blogger is obviously deeming American explanations impeccable though many people do not.

Peace | 12 years ago | Reply Tarek Fatah is very well known to Canadian muslims and specially to Pakistanis that how he is too close to all anti Islam and anti Pakistan organizations than to the people he claim to represent. for clear vision on osama story watch this whole video then things will get clear IA. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qkqfeZFUahc

Hashmi | 12 years ago | Reply Conspiracy theories aside.. Why is this author propagating the Obama/Panetta version of all these stories. Their details are more dubious than the worst of conspiracy theories. They violated our airspace and such articles are only promoting it instead of defiance and condemnation..

Gauhar Mahmood Azeem | 12 years ago | Reply well the comments just prove your point Abdul Majeed. well done, we need to be open and give truth or even lies a chance to prove themselves.

Hala | 12 years ago | Reply as soon as i read the title of this blog, i knew that the comments would be rife with people defending these conspiracy theories and offering new ones. at least some things never disappoint

BlackJack | 12 years ago | Reply Persecution mania and the concept of the 'other' make the muslim imagination fertile ground to sow the seeds of these ridiculous theories; why doesn't America set off another bomb in some part of the US and then take control of Pak nukes? Why are they fighting against the Taliban when Afghanistan has nothing much to offer them - oil or consumer market? Why has it moved out of Iraq which actually has those oil reserves? Why did India give $25 mn to Pakistan after the recent floods which was then routed through the UN on Pak request? But then of course 9/11 was planned by Jews, 26/11 by Hindus, the TTP are Hindus - they are always drinking Indian vodka and looking 'Hindu; the Taliban are lying when the claim responsibility for an attack, Muslims are being converted in India (while despite 700k army somehow Kashmir remains muslim), RAW/ CIA/ Mossad have left their fingerprints on any and every attack in the country, Islam is a religion of peace, Hindu minor girls have somehow taken a liking for the religion - so they go on a holiday and then return married and converted, India has pressurized the Bangladesh High Court to force the Pak tour cancellation, India wants to control Siachen to take control of GB (despite unilaterally vacating inroads made in PoK during the '65 and '71 wars), India is building ICBMs so that they can go around the world and hit Pakistan from the other side - don't you guys get tired? It is amazing that you guys ask for proof against Hafeez Saeed when every single conspiracy theory (that you swear by) that emerges requires no evidence at all.

Nadir | 12 years ago | Reply If OBL isnt dead, who exactly were the Pakistani taxpayer protecting and housing in Islamabad!! Where can I get that deal?

Super-Fool KaalCopterTanoli | 12 years ago | Reply Quite honestly, if someone believes any of those theories, they must literally be borderline retarded. Though I tried, it's impossible for me to think of a nicer way to say it. It would also take me an hour to list off every single reason why they're retarded and should go sit in a desert until they start seeing mirages then proceed to try to suicide bomb it.

Farzan Sohail | 12 years ago | Reply Here's another one: "Express Tribune is a Liberal Fascist paper financed by outside powers to spread hopelessness and pseudo-intellectual propaganda amon Pakistanis" isn't that just so LOL xD

Shemrez Nauman Afzal | 12 years ago | Reply Dear author, Please read http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/323364 before you think the bin Laden death/operation uncertainty is just a conspiracy theory or a myth. Oh, and thank you, ET, for MAINTAINING your level of editorial professionalism :P

harish | 12 years ago | Reply as an indian, i have stopped reading indian newspapers and started reading pakistani newspapers. Because indian papers are full of depressing news like economic recession, climate change, terrorism, corruption and i feel really sad when i read them. But pakistani newspapers, especially the urdu ones, are full of fantastic claims that india creates flood in pakistan, india creates avalanche in siachen, indians are influencing american foreign policy heavily, etc. Reading all these fantastic claims, i feel happy in my deep hope that somehow india really has these magical powers, so i sleep in peace.

hassan ejaz wyne | 12 years ago | Reply all the conspiracy theories aside i ve just had one question in my mind since the abbotabad incidence, why did the americans shot usama when they could have captured him alive? they could have taken him to united states, interrogate him about his past adventures and inquire about any future strategies al qaeda may have formulated regarding united states and her allies, that could have been really good intelligence information for usa,but then why did they kill the most wanted men and most hated by them, to add to that they did not photograph his dead body,no journalists were called to film the most hunted man in history, instead he was thrown in an ocean.LOL. what part of the story does nt sound like holywood ? the americans killed saddam hussain on the day of eid to make a point to the muslims, they are so cheap with whosever they can get their hands on, yet when it came to usama they did nt burn him at some stake fixed at ground zero ? they have never had a problem with detainees, guantanamo is the evidence for that, i am sure they could have made space for usama at guantanamo. its not a question of whether usama was right or wrong, whether he was hero or a villain, its just that i find it hard to digest that a man for whom millions of afghan children were slaughtered not even his dead body was shown to the world. second thing, jews are the people of the book, i am sure there are jews both in palestine and in the rest of the world who have raised their voices against injustices regardless of religion. having said that, i think you should really read about history. you desperately need a lesson in history.

Kk | 12 years ago | Reply I don't know what you are trying to prove here but I must tell you, its an awful blog. The world knows 9/11 was a fake and predefined event by the US. The architect of the Twin Towers himself has said many times that no plane crash could damage the structure the way it is. Plus he said and everyone agreed the angle at which the towers fell was EXACT to that of a structure being demolished from the base so it falls straight down. Look at the counts of people who were given leaves on that day in the tower. Look at the figure of gold that was shifted from the reserve bank at the Twin Towers. This was a setup to initiate a war and take control of the oil reserves in Afghanistan then Iraq and then Iran and trust me they cannot enter Iran no matter what they do.

Arsalan | 12 years ago | Reply "Pakistanis in general are more willing to believe in conspiracy theories as opposed to facts" There is a reason behind it. We are fortunate as compared to Americans that we have access to various points of views especially when it comes to Muslims. In the USA, most of the Americans will blindly believe when the State Department says something and it is repeated by analysts on Fox News, CNN, ABC etc. They believe their government and their media. However we Pakistanis rarely believe what our government or media says. Since our own government and our own media lie to us for their own benefits, we don't trust anyone. We critically analyze each event and conspiracy theories originates automatically when there are unanswered questions or unsatisfactory answers given by "official" sources.

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