Gen. Franks not here on Osama hunt: Pak

Pakistan on Monday said there was no "actionable" evidence that Osama Bin Laden was lurking in the country as top US military commander General Tommy Franks began talks with senior officials.

Military spokesman Major General Rashid Qureshi admitted Bin Laden could be lurking in Pakistan's western tribal belt but insisted Franks' visit was not aimed at boosting the hunt for the world's most wanted man.

He denied the two-day visit, during which the commander-in-chief of the US Central Command will meet with military ruler President Pervez Musharraf, was linked to comments by the head of the US Senate intelligence committee that Bin Laden was in western Pakistan.

"He's just visiting Afghanistan and Pakistan from time to time," Qureshi said.

"This is one of those visits and then he will go on to Afghanistan."

Franks' arrival came as Senator Bob Graham told a television interview that America's "best intelligence" placed Bin Laden in Pakistan.

"Our best intelligence estimate continues to be that he is alive and probably someplace in those tribal areas on the western side of Pakistan," Graham told Fox television.

Islamabad, June 24, 2002 (AFP)