Conspiracy theory - Pakistani style

The Web site Pakistan Daily is an Islamabad-based hub for Pakistani citizen journalism... It is also an excellent place to turn if you want to read in on the latest conspiracy theories making the rounds in that country. Or just get very scared.

Somewhat disturbingly, the source for the “top story” on Pakistan Daily today is Pakistan’s president, Asif Ali Zardari... Mr. Zardari claimed that he “knew” that Osama bin Laden was an American “operator” during the 1980s… this knowledge dates from 1989, when, he said, his late wife, Benazir Bhutto, who was then Pakistan’s prime minister, had called the first President Bush to complain about Mr. bin Laden’s efforts to destabilize Pakistan, presumably on behalf of the government of the United States…

But one of the most interesting conspiracy theories posted recently on Pakistan Daily is the grand, unified theory... headlined “Barack Obama Is Lying About Pakistan.” ..a supposed plot against Pakistan by the American government and media... the entire battle against militants in Pakistan is nothing less than a huge “American psy-ops” campaign to distract from the failures of the United States in Afghanistan… claims that “academic programs are being launched in the U.S. that advocate the breakup of Pakistan and the creation of smaller entities.”

More details and a (Hulu) video at The Lede in the New York Times.