ISLAMABAD, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan on Monday rejected as absurd claims by the Afghan Foreign Minister that Osama bin Laden was hiding in Pakistan and said that Afghanistan was making "halfhearted" efforts in the hunt for terror suspects.

    "If Osama bin Laden is alive he is more likely hiding in Afghanistan than Pakistan," Foreign Office spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam told her weekly press briefing in Islamabad.

    Afghan Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta told a German daily over the weekend that Osama bin Laden was likely in Pakistan and that Islamabad was making "half-hearted" efforts to bring him to justice.

    "Pakistan has deployed over 80,000 troops on the border with Afghanistan to interdict people and catch terrorists. It has sacrificed more in the war against terrorism than anyone else," the Pakistani spokesperson said.

    Replying to another question, she said that the Afghan foreign minister was likely to visit Pakistan shortly.

    During the recently-held ECO summit in Baku, Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and Afghan President Hamid Karzai agreed that the two foreign ministers would meet regularly and discuss all issues. Enditem