Washington: Pakistan is not pursuing al Qaeda supremo Osama bin laden as there is "no proof" about his whereabouts within the country, President Pervez Musharraf has said.

When asked that no other country had bin Laden, Musharraf responded: "No, I challenge - I don't accept that at all. There is no proof whatsoever that he is here in Pakistan." "We are not particularly looking for him (Laden) but we are operating against terrorists and al Qaeda and militant Taliban. And in the process, obviously, it is combined, maybe we are looking for him also. Yes. If he's here?" Musharraf said in an interview on CBS news' Sixty Minutes show.

"We are fighting extremism... We have arrested or eliminated about 700 al Qaeda leaders. Only Pakistan has done it. Who else, which other country has done this?" he boasted.

In the interview which was aired yesterday, Musharraf also blamed al Qaeda for Bhutto's assassination, particularly local extremist Beitullah Mehsud, who operates out of Pakistan's lawless tribal region.

On intelligence assessment that the Taliban had regrouped, the Pakistan President put the blame on Afghanistan.

"They hide and they get support... They regrouped because not under us. Because of Afghanistan. Okay?" Musharraf said.

Asked if the United States shares any of the blame in this, Musharraf replied: "Yes, of course. I mean everyone, the whole coalition should share the blame for not succeeding."

Source : PTI