Pakistan's President General Pervez Musharraf said today there were indications that Osama bin Laden was alive, and he might be hiding in tribal territory on the Pakistani-Afghan border.
General Musharraf told the London-based Pakistani satellite channel ARY that it was possible bin Laden could be with a small group of body guards, hiding on the Pakistani or Afghan side of the remote area.
"Some indications are there that he is not dead but where is he? Nothing can be said about that," Mr Musharraf said in an interview with the television channel.
A copy of the interview, to be broadcast in part today, was obtained by Reuters.
Mr Musharraf said it was possible that bin Laden, who in the past travelled with a large number of body guards, could have given that up in view of the intense hunt for him in Afghanistan and opted for a smaller group.
"If they are in a small group, two, four, eight or 10 people, then they can hide in this side, our side of the tribal area, or hide on the Afghan side. I cannot say with surety," he said.
Many of the ethnic Pasthun people in the semi-autonomous tribal zone bordering Afghanistan supported the former Taliban regime in Afghanistan that gave bin Laden sanctuary for years.