Saturday, January 21 2006 14:48 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New York: Contrary to reports emanating from Islamabad, Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said the security forces searching the area devastated by US missile attack in a remote part of the country have found no evidence as yet of any al-Qaeda top operatives being among the killed.

"The Government and people of Pakistan have condemned theincident. Whether or not 'high-value targets' were present is under investigation and Pakistani security forces have found no tangible evidence of presence of any particular group or individual," he said in reply to a query at a press meet here yesterday. The incident resulted in about 13 deaths, he added.

However, Aziz said Pakistan has been a very active proponent and partner in the war against terror with rest of the world and 'we will continue to do so.'

Aziz is scheduled to meet with President George W Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other officials next week in Washington where the issue is likely to come up.

Pakistan has been sending conflicting signals as to whether any terrorists were killed in the attack which was launched by unmanned drone controlled by CIA following the information it received that al-Qaeda's second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahri would be there attending a dinner.

Pakistani intelligence has been quoted by media as saying that an al-Qaeda bomb expert and son-in-law of Zawahri were killed in the attack. Confronted by the reports emanating from Islamabad, Aziz said he had checked with security officials just before coming for the press conference and they have no tangible evidence of any terrorist being killed.