ISLAMABAD, Aug 24: Playing down any significant political impact of the opposition’s no-confidence motion, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Thursday declared that he would defend himself in the National Assembly on August 29 when allegations levelled against him would be discussed during debate on the motion.

Earlier, Mr Aziz and coalition government leaders completed consultations and drew up a strategy to thwart the combined opposition’s no-trust motion filed on Wednesday.

After the meeting held in his parliament house chamber, the prime minister, accompanyied by flanked by ruling PML president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao and former prime minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali announced that he himself would reply to the charges levelled by the opposition.

Minister for Information Mohammad Ali Durrani, Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and Minister of State for Information Tariq Azeem were also present.

While no important leader from the MQM was present, Senior Minister and Chairman PPP (Patriots) Rao Sikandar Iqbal) left after the meeting.

The prime minister played down the no-trust motion, but at the same time termed it part of the political and democratic system. He said: “If you go through the 500-page charge-sheet you will find nothing new as it contains all the old charges.”

There was confusion over the date for debate and voting on the no-trust motion. Premier Aziz claimed August 29 had been fixed in a meeting chaired by Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain in the morning, while the PPP leadership denied any such date having been fixed.

Opposition sources claimed that another meeting of the business advisory committee had been convened in the speaker’s chamber on Friday morning which would decide details and the date for taking up the motion.

The prime minister claimed the “opposition’s no-trust has already proved to be a confidence motion in favour of the government”.

He said that the coalition was prepared to face the opposition and would emerge even stronger later.

The prime minister said: “The objective of the coalition government was to take the country forward on the path of development and it will face the no-trust through legal and constitutional course.”

Asked whether the government was ready for secret balloting on the motion as demanded by the combined opposition, the premier said all coalition parties’ leaders would be present at the time of the debate and the process would get through in accordance with the constitution.

Responding to a query with regard to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s intention of taking Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal legislators for allegedly committing blasphemy by tearing the copies of the protection of women rights bill, the prime minister said: “It was a regrettable act which every party has the right to take upon accordingly”.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said: “In a political democratic system moving and defending of no-trust motions was not a strange thing, and the onus of proving the majority is always on the opposition which challenges the government.”

Briefly talking about his meeting with the opposition and treasury members on details of the proceedings when the house would take up the no-trust motion, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said he had informed opposition members that “we are ready to go for the vote on the pattern which was applied during the no-trust against a former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto”.

As a result of these consultations, he said, it had been decided that four members from the opposition would speak on the motion while the prime minister would use his right of defence before a division on the motion.