Amid bombings, Pakistan turns to conspiracies

Amid bombings, Pakistan turns to conspiracies

news.yahoo.com

ISLAMABAD – Facing a surge in violence after the killing of Osama bin Laden, Pakistanis are taking comfort in conspiracy theories that allege Indian or American agents — not fellow Muslim countrymen — are behind the attacks, especially last week's brazen assault on a naval base.

Lawmakers, media pundits, retired generals and even government officials often hint at suspicions of a "foreign hand" in the violence, despite there being no evidence and often explicit claims of responsibility by militant groups like the Pakistani Taliban.

Aired on television talk shows and in newspaper

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While tales of malign intervention by foreign powers exist in other developing countries, in Pakistan they come with a heavy price. They confuse the country as to who it is fighting and complicate efforts to defeat militants and counter their extremist ideology.

Shifting the blame away from Islamist militants and onto foreigners helps protect the powerful Pakistani army from an uncomfortable truth: its long association with militants that are now turning against the state.

Right-wing Islamists who support the Afghan Taliban and share the Pakistan Taliban's hatred of America and calls for strict Islamic law are also put in a difficult position by the terror being unleashed on the country. For them, it is easier to blame foreigners out to destabilize the country than acknowledge the slaughter carried out in the name of Islam.

No evidence is ever reported to back up the claims, but unsubstantiated rumors make it into media coverage: the bodies of suicide attackers were uncircumcised, for example, implying they were not Muslims, or Indian-made ammunition was found at the scene.

Ironically, the Pakistani Taliban share Clinton's dislike of the conspiracy theories — but for different reasons.

"Those who are accusing us of working for anyone else's agenda should ask themselves what they are doing," Waliur Rehman, the Taliban's No. 2 commander, told The Associated Press.

"We are neither working for CIA, Mossad, RAW nor any other organization," he said, referring to the Indian spy agency. "We work to get the blessing of God."

The attack on the naval base in Karachi was one of the most brazen in more than four years of militant violence. A team of gunmen infiltrated the base, destroying two U.S-made surveillance planes and killing at least 10 people during a 16-hour standoff.

The fact that the attackers destroyed planes that are believed to be used mostly to guard against India and do not appear directly related to the war against militants has given grist to the conspiracy theorists, as has the supposed sophistication of the assailants and their weapons.

I agree with them. Its too suspicious. Who benefits more on the destroyed aircraft? The Taliban or India? My finger is on India. The aircraft is not used against the Taliban so they would not waste time, men, resources on such operation where India would.

news.yahoo.com
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I absolutely agree with you, and the language used 'turns to conspiracies' has subtle ridicule as its purpose.

Originally posted by wcitizen
I absolutely agree with you, and the language used 'turns to conspiracies' has subtle ridicule as its purpose.

and this is why I say calling someone a conspiracy theorists is descrimination.. sort of like calling and Italian a dego, or an african american a.. well you get my point..

the point is, the term conspiracy theorists has been given subtle tones of "insanity" "crazy" "loner" "loose" that to label someone such a word is trying to undermind them. therefor, descrimination. I think we should drawl the line.. we aren't conspiracy theorists, but investigators of the minor details. technically everyone is a theorists.. because we know very little, yet pretend we know all...

to try and tie this into the topic.. I'm sure the rest of the world is thinking those Pakistanis are crazy for thinking the US or the Indians would fake bombings in the name of a seperate organisation. though false flags occur all the time.

It is far more likely the Pakistan goverment staged the attacks and blamed it on the US. Remember after Osama got killed the locals were blaming their own government for knowing he was there. Of course the Pakistan government is blaming the US. It is just taking the focus off them for failing (or helping) with terrorists in their own country.

Yep, if Pakistan wanted to they could bomb a store and scream it was the US!
Who would disagree with them, I'll tell you who, NOBODY.
That is what happens I guess.

Originally posted by Myendica

Originally posted by wcitizen
I absolutely agree with you, and the language used 'turns to conspiracies' has subtle ridicule as its purpose.

and this is why I say calling someone a conspiracy theorists is descrimination.. sort of like calling and Italian a dego, or an african american a.. well you get my point..

the point is, the term conspiracy theorists has been given subtle tones of "insanity" "crazy" "loner" "loose" that to label someone such a word is trying to undermind them. therefor, descrimination. I think we should drawl the line.. we aren't conspiracy theorists, but investigators of the minor details. technically everyone is a theorists.. because we know very little, yet pretend we know all...

to try and tie this into the topic.. I'm sure the rest of the world is thinking those Pakistanis are crazy for thinking the US or the Indians would fake bombings in the name of a seperate organisation. though false flags occur all the time.

Calling someone a conspiracy theorist is like calling a black person the N word?
I'm writing your name down and ignoring every post you make from now on.

reply to post by deltaboy


It amazes me that Pakistani's are turning to conspiracy theories. Conspiracy theories are what comes about as the result of unanswered questions, lack of information about a given subject, or the result of people no longer trusting the source of information they receive. If Pakistan believes in these conspiracy theories, to me, it means that they have lost faith in their leaders telling them the truth. They probably also realize that this war is not their war. This war is someone else war, and somehow they are supposed to become involved or react to it. I think conspiracy theories are helpful to populations. When conspiracies start happening in a culture, you can almost bet the government has become unable to convince the people and corruption probably runs deep.

Originally posted by deltaboy


[ex
I agree with them. Its too suspicious. Who benefits more on the destroyed aircraft? The Taliban or India? My finger is on India. The aircraft is not used against the Taliban so they would not waste time, men, resources on such operation where India would.

news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Maybe, if you believe that those Islamic militants who usually can not even read or right, can understand types of aircraft. Those militants consider the Pak military to be the enemy, so I doubt they care too much what they destroy, as long as they can blow up something. Besides, if India was doing it, why would they have to break into the place to do so, and why would they blow themselves up?

There are lots of ways to take out an aircraft, that do not require an incursion into a military base

Originally posted by ExPostFacto
reply to post by deltaboy

 

It amazes me that Pakistani's are turning to conspiracy theories. Conspiracy theories are what comes about as the result of unanswered questions, lack of information about a given subject, or the result of people no longer trusting the source of information they receive. If Pakistan believes in these conspiracy theories, to me, it means that they have lost faith in their leaders telling them the truth. They probably also realize that this war is not their war. This war is someone else war, and somehow they are supposed to become involved or react to it. I think conspiracy theories are helpful to populations. When conspiracies start happening in a culture, you can almost bet the government has become unable to convince the people and corruption probably runs deep.

Actually it runs deep in their culture, and its partly to keep them from looking at their own societys problems. As long as you can find someone else to blame, which they often do, they do not have to examine their own culture and assign any blame domestically.

However that helps to keep them backwards and violent, when there is no criticism and questioning of what is going on there.

We may be turning India loose on Pakistan then establish a no fly zone with the backing of NATO soon much like Libya. That would get us involved in Pakistan using India as the footsoldiers and then we can really wipe out the talibon. It's either Pakistan or Iran next it appears.

edit: this was all off topic.

The media, when portraying a story, should not try to persuade judgments on individuals, by stating they believe in conspiracy theories, or are theorists, and push the reader into viewing a theorist, or an actual conspiracy, as sheer fantasy, and in no way shape or form, possibly being true. Or atleast it would be good enough that some Agency would discover, and not some "theorist" on the interwebs.

Using conspiracy theorists, is infact, DESCRIMINATION.

Originally posted by g146541
Yep, if Pakistan wanted to they could bomb a store and scream it was the US!
Who would disagree with them, I'll tell you who, NOBODY.
That is what happens I guess.

The problem with your theory is that Pakistan is not the aggressor here. The US is the aggressor, the dog off its leash in their back yard, and they only want to defend themselves, not stage a fake reason for any offensive campaign.

reply to post by bsbray11


You are 100 percent correct but, the jump is always much higher with a springboard.
We are talking about men of power, not men of honor.

reply to post by wcitizen


Yeah.. it implies a last ditch effort for holding on to some morale.
I hate the newz.