ISLAMABAD: The joint session of Parliament passed a resolution emphasizing the need for concurrent general elections for both the National Assembly and the provincial assemblies. This would strengthen the federation. The two identical resolutions, which were proposed by Senator Kamran Murtaza and Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Javed Abbasi, were meant to advance political harmony and cooperation among the provinces. The resolutions demanded that nationwide general elections for every assembly be held simultaneously.
The resolutions emphasised the significance of appointing neutral caretaker set-ups to ensure impartiality and fairness during the elections.
The resolutions also argued that holding separate elections in Punjab, the largest federating unit with over 50 per cent of the National Assembly seats, would inevitably impact the outcome of general elections to the National Assembly seats in Punjab. Therefore, it could potentially marginalise the smaller provinces’ role in the federation.
The lawmakers belonging to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) staged a token walkout from the House chanting, “Hold elections and save the country”.
The resolution comes as the Supreme Court declared as “unconstitutional” the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) decision to postpone polls in the province, in a blow to the government that has been trying to delay the provincial election citing security issues and the economic crisis.
Last week, the three-member bench — headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Ijazul Ahsan — also fixed May 14 as the date for the poll in the province.
On March 22, the ECP delayed the provincial assembly election in the politically crucial Punjab province by more than five months, citing the deteriorating security situation in the cash-starved country, a move criticised by PTI Chairman Imran Khan.
Since his ouster last April in a no-confidence vote in parliament, Imran has been demanding early elections. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has dismissed the demand and kept to elections scheduled for later this year.
