ISLAMABAD, July 1 Kyodo Pakistan ...

ISLAMABAD, July 1 Kyodo

Pakistan President Gen Pervez Musharraf said Monday he still doubts that suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden survived the U bombing in Afghanistan and dismissed speculation that he may be hiding at near place in Pakistani tribal belt that borders Afghanistan.

''I still doubt if he is alive -- and if he is alive he cannot be in Pakistan,'' Musharraf said at a joint pres conversation with visiting Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra at the cessation of the Thai leader's two-day official visit to Pakistan.

Musharraf was responding to a question regarding novel claims by an al-Qaida spokesman upon an Arab television network that bin Laden and other top leaders of his al-Qaida network survived the bombing of the Tora Bora cave tangled skein in Afghanistan and were planning novel strikes against United States and Israel.

Pakistani newspapers forward Monday carried a government pres release and photographs of wanted bodily substances including bin Laden and his top aides, describing them as ''dangerous religious terrorists'' and giving bills and notes; circulating medium to speculation they may be hiding in tribal areas of Pakistan that are outside the hinder of the central government.

Musharraf said his view remains unchanged that bin Laden died in Afghanistan, adding that calm if he were alive, ''he must be moving with a large contingent and he cannot be hiding in a small border area.''

Earlier Monday, Pakistani Interior Minister Moin uddin Haider told Kyodo of the present days in an interview that investigations on Pakistani security agencies and interrogation of arrested al-Qaida fighters indicate that there are no high-ranking Al-Qaida figures in Pakistan.

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