ISLAMABAD           -            Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Wednesday approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking its directions to stop the local government elections in Islamabad which are scheduled to be held on December 31. Similarly, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ali Nawaz Awan moved a contempt of court petition against the federal government regarding the increase in the union councils of the capital. A single bench of IHC comprising Chief Justice of IHC Justice Aamer Farooq will conduct hearing on both these petitions on Thursday (today). The PML-N petition filed by Shehzad Aurangzeb stated that the federal government has increased the number of union councils from 101 to 125. Therefore, he requested the court that the Election Commission of Pakistan should be restrained from conducting elections based on the old voter lists. It added that the electoral body’s notification was restricted to only 101 UCs and these 101 union councils do not exist. The petitioner further said that the government has also proposed amendments to the Local Government Act. A day earlier, the federal government approved a summary to increase the number of union councils of the federal capital from existing 101 to 125. The summary stated that the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad administrator — deputy commissioner — has said that the present number of union councils is 101 as fixed on the basis of 2017 census. However, the population of Islamabad increased to 205 million in the last five years and therefore, it is appropriate that the number of UCs may be enhanced to 125. On the other hand, PTI leader Ali Nawaz Awan said in his contempt petition that the high court has already given a verdict regarding the issue of the union council. It added that the court has stopped the increase in the number of union councils. He added that the government has committed contempt of court by increasing the number of union councils. Therefore, he requested contempt of court action against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and others. The PTI leader adopted the stance that the respondents blatantly have disregarded the judgment and in consequence, thereof, the same despite clearly holding the field is being attempted to be rendered infructuous and not to be materialized/ implemented and as such being aggrieved and dissatisfied of the disrespect shown by the respondents, towards the judgment of this court. He prayed to the court that in view of the humble submissions made above, it is most humbly prayed that this court may graciously be pleased to accept this petition and hold the respondents in contempt of court for deliberately disobeying the directions of this court and the respondents may kindly be convicted and sentenced in an exemplary manner, in the interest of justice to maintain the sanctity of the judgments and orders of the court.