Pak part of solution,not problem on fighting terrorism: Gilani

He said: 8220;There is no complicity. I think it8217;s an intelligence failure from all over the world,8221; and denied suggestions that elements within Pakistan8217;s military may have been aware of bin Laden8217;s hideout,by saying: 8220;Why should we do that? We have suffered the most.8221;

According to Gilani,Pakistan was 8220;part of the solution,not part of the problem8221; when it came to the 8220;global issue8221; of fighting terrorism.

He alleged that the US had fuelled the problem by abandoning its ally Pakistan once the Soviets had been driven from Afghanistan.

8220;The vacuum was filled by militants,8221; he said.

To US secretary of state Hilary Clinton8217;s statement in India that she believed that Ayman al-Zawahiri,who inherited the al-Qaida leadership after bin Laden8217;s death,was hiding 8220;somewhere in Pakistan8221;,Gilani said: 8220;If there is any

credible information please share it with us,so we can be quick and achieve our targets.8221;  

Asked if Taliban leader Mullah Omar might also be in the country,the prime minister replied: 8220;I don8217;t know. Please tell us.8221;

The CIA was far more 8220;powerful8221; than Pakistan8217;s ISI intelligence service,and would have a better idea,he said.

The Guardian reported that during the interview,Gilani was 8220;surprisingly upbeat8221; about relations with Delhi and spoke warmly of Prime Minister of India,Manmohan Singh.

Islamabad,he said,was 8220;serious8221; about resolving all core issues with India,including Jammu and Kashmir and Siachen.

Gilani claimed that his country had been the biggest loser from the turmoil in neighbouring Afghanistan and from Islamist extremism at home: 8220;Pakistan has paid a huge price. Some 35,000 people have been martyred. 5,000 police and soldiers have been killed.8221;

In addition,Pakistan was now 8220;catering to the needs8221; of 3.6 million Afghan refugees,he said.

The daily reported that Gilani was 8220;upbeat about relations with Washington8221;,which have been under severe strain since US-led Nato forces killed 24 Pakistani soldiers last November.

Gilani admitted recent relations with the Obama administration had not been 8220;too normal8221; but said the CIA and ISI were still working hard together to wipe out or 8220;achieve8221;,as he put it high-level targets.

He claimed that it was practically impossible to police the mountainous Afghan-Pakistan border,where thousands crossed every day.

8220;We don8217;t know if they are tourists or militants,8221; he said in the interview.