Pakistani Federal Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao has denied U.S. media reports that Al-Qaida head Osama bin Laden is hiding in Upper Dir. The Daily Times on May 29 quoted Sherpao telling reporters that, "There is no iota of truth in the news report depicting the presence of bin Laden in the NorthWest Frontier Province.
"The residents of the area need not to be worried by such baseless reports."
Sherpao also dismissed reports of an impending U.S. attack in the area to capture bin Laden, saying, "These are mere speculations generated by irresponsible statements made by the Afghan leadership," adding that Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the Afghan government should attend to Afghan matters instead of making allegations against Pakistan.
Sherpao said that Pakistan had been working closely with Afghanistan to restore peace as Afghan stability is vital not only for Pakistan but the whole region.
Sherpao said that the Interior Ministry had written a letter to the Foreign Office asking it to send a team to Afghanistan to determine the precise number of Pakistanis held in Afghan jails.
Sherpao reiterated that Pakistan would not allow its territory to be used by foreigners for terrorist activities, telling reporters that a Pakistani army operation in Waziristan was designed solely to uncover foreign militants, who had rejected Islamabad's offer for general amnesty and registration with the Pakistani authorities.
Source: United Press International
