Over the past decade, the Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan as well as the others courts of the country have chosen Friday to issue several landmark judgements.
As the Islamabad accountability court announced the much-awaited verdict in the Avenfield corruption reference on Friday, Dawn.com lists eight major decisions from the last 10 years which were issued on the day before the weekend.
July 20, 2007
A 13-member bench of SC judges unanimously overturns former president Pervez Musharraf's decision to suspend the then chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.
July 31, 2009
The SC declares Musharraf's decision to impose an emergency on November 3, 2007 as well as his Provisional Constitutional Order illegal and unconstitutional.
July 28, 2017
A five-member bench of the apex court disqualifies Nawaz Sharif, the then prime minister, from holding public office in its landmark decision on the Panama Papers case. The verdict brings the PML-N supremo's third term in power to an unceremonious end.
December 8, 2017
A Lahore High Court verdict halting the construction of the Orange Line Metro Train is set aside by a SC bench and the Punjab government is allowed to go ahead with the project subject to certain conditions to ensure the preservation of heritage sites in the area.
December 15, 2017
A three-member bench comprising SC judges rejects the National Accountability Bureau's appeal to reopen the Rs1.2 billion Hudaibya Paper Mills reference. The reference would have further complicated the Sharif family's legal troubles following Panama Papers verdict.
December 15, 2017
The Supreme Court hands down its much-awaited judgement in the Imran Khan, Jahangir Tareen disqualification case, rejecting Hanif Abbasi's petition for Khan's disqualification but disqualifying Jahangir Tareen for being "dishonest".
April 13, 2018
In a historic verdict, the Supreme Court rules that disqualification handed down under Article 62 (1)(f) of the Constitution is for life. The decision stated that the disqualification of any member of parliament or a public servant under Article 62 (1)(f), which sets the precondition for a member of parliament to be "sadiq and ameen" (honest and righteous), will be “permanent”. Such a person cannot contest elections or become a member of parliament.
July 6, 2018
The accountability court announces the verdict in the Avenfield corruption reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), handing ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif 10 years as jail time for owning assets beyond income and 1 year for not cooperating with NAB. The sentences will run concurrently which means the former prime minister will serve 10 years in jail.
His daughter Maryam Nawaz was handed 7 years for abetment in the purchase of the high-end properties in London, and 1 year for non-cooperation with the bureau — also to run concurrently; she will serve 7 years in total.
Nawaz's son-in-law Captain Safdar has been given 1 year jail time — also for not cooperating with NAB.