How to read legal citations in Pakistan

Pakistan has an English-based common-law system, with Islamic law on some matters. A case is cited to a report series such as PLD, where the year and the court come before the page.

Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.

Style guide: Pakistani court practice (PLD and SCMR). Pakistan has no single mandatory style guide. Courts and lawyers follow the form of the main report series, PLD (Pakistan Legal Decisions) and SCMR (Supreme Court Monthly Review).

Real citations, decoded

Click or hover over any underlined piece to see what it means.

A Federal Court case Case

Case name Federation of Pakistan v Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan
The parties. This case from 1955 was an early constitutional crisis.
Report series PLD
Pakistan Legal Decisions, the main report series.
Year 1955
The year of the report. PLD volumes are arranged by year, and the year is written without brackets.
Court FC
Federal Court, the highest court before the Supreme Court was created. The court is part of the PLD citation, because each year's volume is divided into sections by court.
First page 240
The page where the report begins within that section.

The same decision also appears as 'Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan v Federation of Pakistan', depending on which party is named first.

The Constitution Constitution

Instrument Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan 1973
Pakistan's current constitution.
Article art 184(3)
Article 184(3) lets the Supreme Court hear, in its original jurisdiction, questions of public importance about fundamental rights.

Things to remember

Typical PLD abbreviations are SC (Supreme Court), FC (Federal Court), Lah (Lahore High Court), Kar (Karachi) and Pesh (Peshawar).
SCMR is the Supreme Court Monthly Review. A citation gives the year, then SCMR, then the page.
Pakistan is a federation, with four provinces. Each has its own High Court.
The Federal Shariat Court examines whether laws are against Islam.

Where to find the text, free

To understand how courts and law fit together in Pakistan, read the Pakistan profile in the Legal Families Atlas.

TheLawToKnow Tools’s citation guide is an educational overview of standard conventions. Courts and journals sometimes vary, so check the style guide before submitting or publishing. It is not legal advice. Report a mistake.