Pakistan's ambassador to the United States, Husain Haqqani, has defended his country's decision to round up more than 30 people in connection with an investigation into Osama bin Laden's compound in the northern Pakistani garrison city of Abbottabad.

Haqqani told ABC's “This Week” program Sunday that the individuals were rounded up as part of an effort “to find out what has happened.” He said Pakistani investigators will deal with each individual on the basis of the information they have.

Haqqani said it was wrong to think that Pakistan was punishing those who led the United States to bin Laden. He was referring to an article in The New York Times that Pakistan had arrested five CIA informants, including a Pakistani army major, who reportedly provided information leading to the May 2 U.S. raid that killed the al-Qaida leader.

Ambassador Haqqani stressed that Pakistan wants to be and is a U.S. ally. He added that capturing the newly named leader of al-Qaida, Ayman al-Zawahri, is a top priority of both U.S. and Pakistani intelligence and that they are cooperating to reach that goal.

Pakistan's military has called The New York Times article “false and totally baseless.” But a military spokesman later told VOA several people have been detained. He did not elaborate.

The raid and the detention of informants have put an additional strain on the U.S.-Pakistani relationship. Reports that leaks from the Pakistani security apparatus foiled raids on militant bomb factories in tribal areas bordering Afghanistan have prompted U.S. lawmakers to threaten to cut off aid to Pakistan.

Outgoing U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates told “Fox News Sunday” he did not know if the two sides were close to a breach in ties. He added, however, that “despite the complex nature of the relations, the two countries need each other and they just have to keep working at it.”