RAWALPINDI, Jan 18: President Pervez Musharraf on Friday said that the general election would be held on February 18 as planned and there was no possibility of rigging.

Talking to editors of national newspapers at his camp office here, he said that army troops and paramilitary forces would ensure law and order before, during and after the elections.

The president rejected reports that he was going to meet Shahbaz Sharif in London during his forthcoming foreign visit.

He said he was open to the idea of a national government after the elections. He warned that political instability would distract the country from the war against extremism and terrorism and scare away foreign investors.

The present expressed the hope that political parties would respect the verdict of people on Feb 18 and work for full transition to democracy.

He said the Election Commission was independent, adding that every citizen should put “Pakistan first” in his priorities.

The president ruled out any possibility of Pakistan’s nuclear assets going into the hands of terrorists and said that a foolproof system of command and control under the National Command Authority had been put in place.

Information Minister Senator Nisar A. Memon, Information Secretary Syed Anwar Mahmood, President’s Secretariat Secretary Mohsin Hafeez and President’s Media Adviser Maj-Gen (retd) Rashid Qureshi attended the meeting.—APP