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Monday, November 18, 2024  
15 Jumada Al-Awwal 1446  

Ayman al-Zawahiri ‘not in Pakistan’: PM Gilani

LONDON: After the American secretary of state, Hillary Clinton revealed her country's beliefs about current Al-Qaeda Cheif, Amyn-al-Zawahiri being inside Pakistan.

The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani in an interview with the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph, denied his presence in Pakistan.

"Why should I think he [Zawahiri] is in Pakistan?" he asked the Daily Telegraph.

"The CIA and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency were co-operating closely", he added.

"They should work together and if there is any credible, actionable information, please share with us so that we should catch hold of him," said Mr Gilani. "You have claimed that somebody has said that he is in Pakistan: if there is any information, please share with us."

When asked for his own view on whether Zawahiri was in Pakistan, the prime minister replied: "We don't think so."

America has offered a reward of $10 million for the capture of Hafiz Saeed, the alleged leader of LeT group, accused of executing the gun attacks in Mumbai that claimed at least 164 lives in 2008.

On the question of why has Hafiz Saeed not been arrested yet, The PM replied that there wasn't enough evidence to warrant his arrest. "If you arrest him, that means he will be released by the courts. For the courts you need more evidence," he said. "You know the judiciary is completely independent in Pakistan."

Talking about his tenure as the Prime Minister of Pakistan and how in the next elections he will be facing the popular vote of people according to recent polls, Imran Khan, the world cup winning captain and chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf, the Prime Minister claimed that he didn't see Imran Khan as a challenging threat.

"In each and every election, there's always a perception from the media that he'll do better than before, but each time he doesn't do better than before," said Mr Gilani. "We'll beat them hands down", he added.