Taliban not in here, Laden could be: Pak

‘‘Our campaign against Taliban is very intense. It is not regrouping in Pakistan, absolutely not,’’ he said. Afghanistan’s officials have alleged that Taliban loyalists were regrouping on the Pakistani side of the 2,400-kilometre border and organising attacks against them.

When asked about Osama bin Laden, the spokesperson accepted that the Al Qaeda chief may be hiding in Pakistan’s tribal belt bordering Afghanistan.

‘‘Laden’s presence anywhere in that area cannot be ruled out,’’ said Khan. ‘‘If anybody knows where he is, they should get in touch with the intelligence agencies of Pakistan, Afghanistan or US,’’ he said.

US Ambassador to Pakistan Nancy Powell had said last week that Laden might be hiding in northwest Pakistan’s semi-autonomous tribal region.

Pakistan, a key ally in the US-led ‘‘war against terrorism’’, has arrested some 500 Al-Qaeda and Taliban fugitives in a 22-month old campaign, but conflicting reports continue to surface about the status and location of Laden, who has $ 25-million price on his head.

Meanwhile, Pakistani media maintained that over 20 Armymen face investigations for their alleged links with Al Qaeda and India. ‘‘It was reliably learnt that more than a dozen Army officers are under arrest for their alleged links with a religious organisation,’’ The Nation said. While one group was being investigated for their Qaeda links, a larger group was taken into custody for their possible links with India, Dawn reported.

The arrests come despite assertions by the Pakistan Army that only three to four of its personnel were being held.