November 18, 2001	Sunday	Ramazan 2, 1422

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QUETTA, Nov 17: Osama bin Laden is not present in the provinces under the control of Taliban, Mulla Abdul Salam Zaeef told reporters at Chaman soon after his arrival from Kandahar, late on Saturday night.

“Osama is in Afghanistan, but we do not know where he is, “Mulla Zaeef said adding he was not in those areas which were under the control of Taliban.

However, he confirmed that Taliban supreme leader Mulla Omar was present in under control areas of Taliban and he was running all affairs of his government including commanding Taliban militia.

REPORT DENIED: Pakistan on Saturday ruled out the possibility that Osama bin Laden could sneak into Pakistan and said that it was impossible to enter the country because of intense patrolling and monitoring of the north-western border, A Reporter adds from Islamabad.

The spokesman was contacted by Dawn to seek his comments on the statement of Taliban ambassador to Pakistan, Mulla Abdul Salam Zaeef, who had told BBC that Osama bin Laden was no more in Afghanistan.

“I have heard his statement but we don’t know whether Mulla Zaeef tried to deflect the wrath of the coalition forces the Taliban are faced with,” Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj-Gen Rashid Qureshi said.

He said Mulla Zaeef had left Pakistan via Chaman early this week as such his statement cannot be verified. “We have no knowledge about the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden but one thing is clear that he cannot enter Pakistan”.

Maj Gen Rashid Qureshi said that Mulla Abdul Salam Zaeef did not say where Osama was present now nor he had hinted that the Saudi dissident could move into Pakistan.

When his comment was sought on a statement of the US Secretary Defence Donald Rumsfeld, as telecast by the CNN on Saturday, that Osama could have owned some small helicopters or other vehicles to travel to remote areas in the north of Pakistan, he said “Rumsfeld did not say anything firmly, nor was he sure that Osama would be getting into Pakistan”.

Rumsfeld was quoted by the correspondent of the CNN in his report based on the already expressed apprehensions, and there was no statement from any US official that Osama has or would be moving into Pakistan, Rashid Qureshi said.

He said that in wake of the US-led military campaign against Taliban Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan was being monitored very minutely hence his entry would not remain a secret.