According to the Times, those detained include a Pakistani army major who provided key details of cars visiting the bin Laden compound in the garrison town of Abbottabad in the lead-up to the May raid by US Navy SEALS which ended in the al Qaeda figurehead's death.
But the Pakistan Defense Forces issued a strongly-worded statement early Wednesday denying that an army major was among those arrested."There is no army officer detained and the story is false and totally baseless," the statement read.
Pakistani sources told CNN that a person who rented a safe house to the CIA was also among those detained.
The arrests will be seen as further evidence of the troubled nature of the US-Pakistan relationship in the struggle against terrorism. Tensions have increased since the bin Laden raid, which left Pakistani security embarrassed and prompted questions about how the terror chief could have been based in a key military town without senior officials knowing.
US drone strikes on Pakistani Taliban hideouts have been another area of friction, with a strong degree of public opposition in Pakistan.
It is unclear what happened to the informants after their arrests, although the newspaper said the issue of their detention was raised by CIA director Leon Panetta on a visit to counterparts in Pakistan last week.
A CIA spokesperson told FOX News Channel on Wednesday that the meetings were productive.
"We have a strong relationship with our Pakistani counterparts and week.A CIA spokesperson told FOX News Channel on Wednesday that the meetings were productive.
"We have a strong relationship with our Pakistani counterparts and work through issues when they arise. Director Panetta had productive meetings last week in Islamabad. It's a crucial partnership, and we will continue to work together in the fight against al Qaeda and other terrorist groups who threaten our country and theirs," the source said.
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