New Delhi: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf feels that terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden is "alive" and does not rule out the possibility of his being in Pakistan, which is trying its best to catch him.

"I feel that he is alive, yes, because of the various information and intelligence that has come up now. But to guess whether he's in Pakistan or in Afghanistan, the possibility exists that he is shifting places, shifting bases on both sides. That is a reality," he told BBC on the second anniversary of the September 11 terror strikes on the US.

Asked if he could rule out the possibility that he is in fact, or has been in Pakistan, Musharraf said, "One can't rule it out, because certainly I cannot claim that the forces dominate every inch of territory.

"This is an inhospitable area in our tribal area, which has been accessed or we have gone inside now, after a century, and therefore to presume that we have knowledge of very inch of the territory and who is in it is not on. And therefore, I say I cannot really be very sure whether he's in Pakistan or on the Afghan side."

On whether bin Laden would ever be caught, Musharraf said, "Well your guess will be as good or as bad as mine. We are trying our best."

PTI