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Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is probably somewhere in the area of Pakistan's border with Afghanistan, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has said.
Asked whether he believed suggestions that bin Laden was somewhere on his country's border, Musharraf, on a state visit to New Zealand, told TV3's Campbell Live programme on Friday night: "Probably, yes. "
Speaking to a gathering of Pakistani expatriates in Auckland on Saturday, Musharraf said Islamabad was committed to eliminating extremism and terrorism from the country.
Pakistan, he said, has to address both extremism and terrorism as 'we require a peaceful and congenial environment for continuing our march on the path of high economic growth and to reduce poverty'.
An effective check will be ensured on misuse of mosque loudspeakers and publication and propagation of hate material, he was quoted as saying by the official APP news agency.
New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark expressed admiration for Pakistan's fight against terror, saying, "Al Qaeda could not have been tackled without Pakistan's active cooperation. Pakistan has achieved impressive success in the fight against the menace of terror."
Clark also said the country will respond positively to Musharraf's desire for rapid modernisation and developmnt of his country's agriculture sector.
"New Zealand has skills which can help Pakistan in education and agriculture technology, and we want to be part of Pakistan's success story," APP quoted her as saying.