Judge Mohammad Bashir is the longest-serving judge of the accountability court of Islamabad and is approaching the age of retirement in March 2024. He has overseen numerous high-profile cases involving the top political leadership of the country.
A career of extensions and crucial verdicts
Originally appointed as the accountability judge in 2012 for a three-year term, he received an extension for an additional three years while presiding over cases involving former president Asif Ali Zardari.
During this time, he acquitted Zardari in all five cases filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) under the regime of former military dictator General Pervez Musharraf.
He stepped down from his position on March 12, 2021, after his unprecedented nine-year tenure in the federal capital.
Judge Bashir was granted another three-year extension during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government as he presided over the Avenfield properties reference, implicating former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family.
Judge Bashir has served nine-year continuous service in an accountability court since the promulgation of the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) in 1999. The extensions were granted under the direction of the then Chief Justice of Pakistan, Mian Saqib Nisar.
Judge Mohammad Bashir has delivered pivotal judgments that carry significant political implications for Pakistan.
Sentenced Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi in the Toshakhana case
Former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder, Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were sentenced to 14 years in rigorous prison in the Toshakhana case on Wednesday.
Judge Mohammad Bashir of the Accountability Court delivered the judgment and disqualified Imran Khan from holding any public office for 10 years and imposed a fine of Rs1.573 billion on him and Bushra Bibi.
The significant verdict arrived at a time when the nation is gearing up for elections scheduled just a week away.
Convicted Nawaz Sharif in the Avenfield case
He had convicted former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family in the Avenfield reference in 2018.
On July 7, 2018, the accountability court issued a verdict in the Avenfield properties corruption case, filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). This resulted in the removal of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for owning assets beyond means ahead of the general elections on July 25, 2018.
His daughter, Maryam Nawaz Sharif was sentenced to 7 years for abetment in concealing her father’s properties, while Nawaz’s son-in-law, retired Captain Safdar, received a 1-year jail term for non-cooperation and aiding Nawaz and Maryam.
