Opposition politicians Imran Khan and Sheikh Rasheed petitioned the court in the aftermath of the Panama Papers leak, which uncovered links between the Sharif family and eight offshore companies.

[4] After the JIT submitted its report and subsequent arguments were heard, the Court disqualified Sharif from holding public office by unanimous verdict.

[6][7] On April 3, 2016, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) made 11.5 million secret documents, later known as the Panama Papers, available to the public.

[12] Facing growing criticism, Sharif announced the formation of a judicial commission under a retired judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, in a nationwide address on April 5, 2016.

However, former justices Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, Nasir-ul-Mulk, Amir-ul-Mulk Mengal, Sahir Ali, and Tanvir Ahmad Khan all refused to participate and no commission was formed.

[14] The latter effort failed when Chief Justice of Pakistan Anwar Zaheer Jamali, cited broad, open-ended terms of reference and the limited scope of the law in this area, and declined to form "a toothless commission, which will serve no useful purpose.

"[15] In a televised address to the National Assembly of Pakistan on May 16, 2016, Sharif suggested forming a joint committee to draft the terms of reference for establishing a judicial commission.

He said he was not afraid of accountability, while criticizing opposition figures: "Today, people living in bungalows and commuting in helicopters are accusing me of misconduct.

Other political leaders including Sheikh Rashid Ahmed of Awami Muslim League, and Siraj-ul-Haq of Jamat-e-Islami, also expressed support for the petition.

The court also accepted additional petitions filed by other opposition figures, including Jamaat-e-Islami leader Siraj-ul-Haq and Sheikh Rashid Ahmad.

[19] The court also questioned the quality of PTI's evidence, with Justice Saeed remarking that newspaper clippings were only good for "selling pakoras" the day after publication.

I understood at that time, that an aggregate sum of around Dirhams 12 million was contributed by Mian Sharif, originating from the sale of business in Dubai (for four flats: 16, 16A, 17 and 17A Avenfield House, Park Lane, London, registered under the ownership of two offshore companies, while their bearer share certificates were kept in Qatar).

"[22] Expressing inability to furnish a "40-year-old" money trail, Butt explained that business families at the time conducted transactions over parchis, slips of paper.

The Sharif family also reshuffled its legal team: Butt and Sheikh were replaced with Makhdoom Ali Khan, Shahid Hamid, and Salman Akram Raja.

[28] He argued that the Sharif family had failed to present any record regarding banking transactions, or refer to trust deeds or the Qatari connection earlier.

[30] Bokhari also highlighted the National Accountability Bureau's failure to pursue its own reference filed against Hudaibiya Paper Mills in 2000, implicating the Sharif family and Ishaq Dar in money laundering in the late 1990s.

Makhdoom quoted the court's own decision on Article 62 (1)F of the Constitution, under which the petitioners sought Sharif's disqualification, as "a nightmare of interpretations and feast of obscurities.

FBR lawyer Mohammad Waqar Rana said that no immediate steps had been taken in pursuance of the Panama scandal, arguing that separate laws and institutions were available for money laundering cases.

[35] The NAB (National Accountability Bureau) was represented by Chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry and Prosecutor General Waqas Qadeer Dar.

[39] Following Bokhari's rebuttal to the defence case, the petitioners appeared before the bench on 23 February 2017, including Imran Khan, Siraj-ul-Haq, and Sheikh Rashid Ahmad.

[40] The secret of a great success for which you are at a loss to account is a crime that has never been found out, because it was properly executed The verdict in the case was announced at 2:00 p.m. PST on 20 April 2017.

It was primarily authored by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan and was noted for its harsh criticism of state investigative institutions, NAB and the FIA, as well as the government for their handling of the Panama Papers leaks.

[53][54] Among other critical findings was the discovery of an offshore company, FZE Capital, managed by Nawaz Sharif until 2014,[55] and the complete lack of supporting record in the United Arab Emirates related to the sale of Gulf Steel Mill, important to the case as it formed the basis of the 'Qatari letter' money trail.

[60] The court also ordered National Accountability Bureau to file a reference against Sharif, his family and his former Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, corruption charges.

[66] Sharif was subsequently barred from public office for life, after the Supreme Court held in Sami Ullah Baloch v. Abdul Karim Nousherwani that electoral disqualification under Article 62(1)(f) would continue in perpetuity.

[70] On 18 September 2018, Islamabad High Court suspended the verdict as, according to the presiding judge, Athar Minallah, NAB "was unable to prove a financial link between the former prime minister and the apartments in question".

[74] 4 weeks later, on 25 April 2019, Sharif filed a review petition in the apex court, pleading to grant him "permanent bail" on the basis of a fresh medical report that stated he suffers from "acute anxiety and depression that will lead to sudden death".