KARACHI, Jan 14: President Pervez Musharraf on Monday ruled out any possibility of formation of a national government and any change in the election date.

At a meeting with members of the Sindh cabinet, he said that the wheat and flour crisis would soon ease and there would be an improvement in the situation in near future.

Briefing the media after the meeting, president’s spokesman Maj-Gen (retd) Rashid Qureshi said the president rejected rumours about a national government and a change in the election date.

“There is no truth in such reports and the president is very firm on holding the elections under the caretaker government,” he said.The president reiterated his commitment to combating and eradicating terrorism from the country.

He said deplored the losses suffered by the government and people in the widespread violence which followed the assassination of PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto.

The president directed law-enforcement agencies and officials to take all measures to ensure peace before, during and after the elections.

Taking serious notice of the wheat and flour crisis, President Musharraf said the country’s wheat production stood at 23 million tons and the problem occurred because of smuggling and hoarding. “There will be an improvement in the next few days.”

Mr Qureshi said the president did not agree with the contention that the crisis was caused by the export of a substantial quantity of wheat and said that only half a million tons had been exported because at that time Pakistan had surplus wheat.

The president Musharraf said that the Federal Food Committee had taken action to overcome the flour crisis, adding that it had been asked to take any future shortage into account and ensure timely action.

APP adds: Talking to businessmen, industrialists and bankers at the Governor’s House, the president said the government had given a task to Rangers and the army for the coming elections. “Let me assure you we are going to instruct the Rangers and army to shoot the miscreants during elections. We will not allow this activity to happen again,” he said.