BLITZER: Some sobering facts about nuclear weapons right now.

At least seven countries officially publicly possess nuclear weapons. Two others, Israel and North Korea, are so-called unconfirmed. They don't publicly acknowledge that. According to the Federation of American Scientists, the vast majority of them, more than 80 percent, are in the United States and Russia.

The most common nuclear weapon in the United States is five times more powerful than the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima. The U.S. also has warheads up to 25 times more powerful than the atomic bomb. The U.S. and Russia have enough nuclear weapons to destroy each other as functioning civilizations -- some sobering facts.

Two of those nuclear powers, India and Pakistan, are uneasy neighbors, and have gone to war in the past, making any future tensions all the more frightening.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And joining us now in Washington, the prime minister of Pakistan, Yousaf Raza Gilani.

Mr. Prime Minister, thanks very much for joining us, and welcome to the United States.

YOUSAF RAZA GILANI, PAKISTANI PRIME MINISTER: Thank you.

BLITZER: Let's get right to some of the most important issues facing the United States and Pakistan.

"The New York Times" reporting today that Pakistan, your government, is getting ready, in their words, to greatly expand your weapons-grade fuel.

Is that true?

GILANI: No, it's not true.

BLITZER: What are you planning on doing with your weapons-grade fuel? Because "The New York Times" says you're struggling to make sure that you are on par with India.

GILANI: No, we are not competing with anybody. We really want to confine ourselves to the minimum deterrence. And that's it.

BLITZER: That's it. So, you're denying the story in "The New York Times" today?

GILANI: Yes, I deny it.

BLITZER: Let's move on to another issue that is critical right now. You probably saw the story in "The Washington Post" over the weekend suggesting that while there has been a dramatic improvement in cooperation between Pakistan and the United States in the hunt for Taliban extremists and al Qaeda, there still is this lingering cooperation that your intelligence services, the ISI, has with Taliban extremists.

Is that true?

GILANI: In fact, we are having excellent cooperation in the field of intelligence and defense between United States and Pakistan. And we have jointly and even separately had identified the targets. We got them arrested. And now they're facing the courts.

Therefore, we have very good relations with the United States, and we are cooperating on this aspect.

BLITZER: Did you recently release, as "The Washington Post" says, two high-ranking Taliban prisoners that you captured?

GILANI: That would be done by the courts. Therefore, the court has to do it.

BLITZER: It says that you quietly freed at least two senior Afghan Taliban figures that you had captured on your own. Are you familiar with this suggestion?

GILANI: I am familiar with this case, but, at the same time, we have our own laws, and the -- the judiciary of Pakistan have to deal with this on merit.

BLITZER: Are you any closer right now, do you believe, to finding, to capturing or killing Osama bin Laden or his number two, Ayman al-Zawahri?

GILANI: In fact, Osama bin Laden is not in Pakistan.

And whosoever are the militants, we hardly discriminate between the good Talibans and the bad Talibans. Whoever are the militants be, it is our commitment, it is our resolve, and we have to take on those evil forces from our country.

Therefore, talking about al Qaeda, we don't see any sort of those concern in Pakistan. If there is any actionable or credible information, we are ready to share with United States.

BLITZER: If you don't believe that bin Laden is hiding someplace in Pakistan, where do you think he is?

GILANI: I don't know.

BLITZER: You have no idea, when -- but you know for sure he's not, he's definitely not in Pakistan?

GILANI: Certainly, he is not in Pakistan. And, even, I don't know where he is.

BLITZER: How do you know for sure he's not in Pakistan?

GILANI: Because our military actions are very successful, and we have a very successful operation in Malakand and Swat and all in South Waziristan and elsewhere. If there would have been any chance, he would have been arrested or maybe -- I even don't know whether he's alive or not.

BLITZER: You think he might be dead?

GILANI: I don't know.

BLITZER: Prime Minister Gilani, thanks very much for joining us. As I said before, welcome to the United States. And good luck to you and to the U.S.-Pakistani relationship.

GILANI: Thank you so much. Thank you.