Pakistan holds al-Qaeda suspects

Pakistan's commitment to fighting al-Qaeda has been questioned

Pakistani authorities have arrested seven suspected al-Qaeda members in the southern port city of Karachi.

The information minister said two of the five men were Arabs of Egyptian origin. The two women being held were said to be wives of two of the men.

"We have also recovered some weapons, including hand grenades and pistols from them," Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said.

On Saturday President Musharraf vowed to hunt down al-Qaeda and Taleban militants hiding in Pakistan.

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The arrests were made during a pre-dawn raid - part of a police hunt for criminals in the port city, the information minister said, according to French news agency AFP.

He said an investigation was under way into whether those arrested were planning an attack in the country.

Musharraf is keen to stamp down on 'extremists'

The minister declined to reveal the names of those being held.

Early this month, the Pakistan military conducted an operation to capture what it described as foreign terrorists hiding near Wana, the main town in South Waziristan.

However, they failed to find any militants.

The area has been a hub of activity for members of Afghanistan's ousted Taleban regime and al-Qaeda - and one of the main suspected hideouts of al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri.

Pakistan is a key US ally in the battle against al-Qaeda.

The government has rounded up more than 500 al-Qaeda suspects and turned them over to the US.

The US believes Osama Bin Laden's network was behind the 11 September 2001 attacks on New York and Washington.