CIA Director Leon Panetta said on Thursday the US intelligence agency believes al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is hiding in Pakistan and hopes joint operations with Pakistani forces will find him. Asked whether he was sure that Osama was in Pakistan, Panetta said: “The last information we had, that’s still the case.”

“Finding Osama is one of our major priorities,” Panetta said. “One of our hopes is that the Pakistanis move in militarily, combined with our operations, we may be able to have a better chance to find the al-Qaeda leader,” he said.

Meanwhile, Pakistan on Thursday said it was “very seriously” considering filing an appeal against Lahore High Court’s order releasing Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafeez Mohammed Saeed from detention in connection with the Mumbai terror attacks.