The Joint Sitting of Parliament on Monday adopted a resolution, stressing for the holding of general elections of the National Assembly and the provincial assemblies simultaneously to strengthen the federation. The two identical resolutions were moved by Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Javed Abbasi and Senator Kamran Murtaza aimed to promote political stability and foster unity among the provinces. The resolutions argued that organizing general elections of all the assemblies simultaneously. The resolutions emphasized 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 percent of the National Assembly seats, would inevitably impact the outcome of general elections to the National Assembly seats in Punjab. Therefore, it could potentially marginalize the smaller provinces’ role in the federation. Earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senators staged a token walkout from the House. The development comes after a three-member bench of the Supreme Court unanimously declared the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) order to delay the election in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa “unconstitutional”. The three-member bench – led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Munib Akhtar, and Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan – also ordered the electoral body to hold elections in the province on May 14 and asked the government to provide funds to the ECP for holding the polls.