Washington, June 12: A spokesman for President Asif Ai Zardari has rejected CIA chief Leon Panetta’s claim that Osama bin Laden is still in Pakistan and challenged the organisation to hand over any evidence it has to back it up.
Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar told reporters Friday, “There is no truth in this CIA statement. These are all rumors.”
Babar said, if the CIA knows he is in Pakistan, then it “should also know his exact location” and share it with Pakistan.”
Panatta told reporters after a speech in Congress on Thursday the CIA believes bin Laden is still in Pakistan, and the spy agency is hoping to close in on him as that country’s military cracks down on the northwestern tribal area where he is thought to be hiding.
“I guess one of our hopes is that as Pakistani military moves in, combined with our operations, we may have a better chance to get at him,” Panetta said.
The CIA has increased the number of officers and recruited agents, or locals who provide information, in Pakistan, Panetta said.
—–Agencies