Pakistan may now allow United States to question bin Laden’s wives and children, who have been in custody of the Pakistani forces, said a U.S. official on Monday.

The U.S. has demanded access to the ISI operatives and Bin Laden's wives, so that they can map out the network of al Qaeda.

Pakistani forces has taken into custody more than 15 people, including Bin Laden’s three wives and several children, after the killing of Osama bin Laden by the U.S. Navy SEAL’s in his Abbottabad hideout on May 1.

U.S. has demanded access to question bin Laden's wives and children, especially the youngest wife Amal who was shot in the leg during the raid.

“The Pakistanis now appear willing to grant access, hopefully they’ll carry through on the signals they are sending us,” the official said.

The White House has refused to comment immediately.

Pakistani officials have implied that the relationship between the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is strained.

Since the helicopter-borne raid in Pakistan was seen as violation of its sovereignty, there is tension between the two military establishments and intelligence units.

The U.S. has not been granted permission so far by the Pakistani forces to question the women in their custody but Washington is hopeful for a positive nod from Islamabad.

It is believed that Pakistan is a close ally of the United States in its war against the militants in the neighboring country of Afghanistan. But the U.S. is suspicious that bin Laden may have been protected by Pakistani security forces as his hideout was found in the vicinity of a military training center in Abbottabad, 40 miles from the capital Islamabad.

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