The Pakistan Supreme Court will deliver  its much-awaited verdict in the Panama Papers case later on Friday that will not only decide the fate of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, but is also likely to chart the countrys political future.

The five-judge bench that will announce the historic verdict will be headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, who had put a dissenting note in an April 20 judgment with a quote from Mario Puzo's novel "The Godfather" and declared Sharif "disqualified" for not being honest to the nation, Dawn reported.

Ahead of the judgment, Sharif held informal consultations with close aides and key ministers in Lahore.

Sources said another meeting would be held after the Supreme Court decision to devise a plan of action in the wake of the verdict.

Sharif returned from his trip to the Maldives on Thursday and was received by his brother, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.