ISLAMABAD, June 20: All arrangements to defend the Speaker of National Assembly are in place and now the onus is on Opposition parties to muster up the support of 172 MNAs, Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, Federal Information Minister, said.

Responding to the filing of a no-confidence motion against the Speaker, Sheikh Rashid Ahmad said that opposition parties had no chance of success. “They all know this but they have done it under a scheme to show that Pakistan is still a destabilised country.”

The whole idea was to spoil the visit of President Gen Pervez Musharraf of the United States, as they wanted to give an impression to the world that Pakistan was still a destabilised country.

The information minister said that some Western countries also wanted similar atmosphere which the opposition parties had provided them.

He said the government had no objection to the filing of such a motion as it was opposition’s constitutional right.