The government filed a petition in August last year after it failed to comply with the SC directive to separate the judiciary by July 19, 2004, which was the 19th extended deadline.

The latest deadline expires on October 17 this year.

The full bench of the SC Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed JR Mudassir Husain granted the government this additional time to implement the 12-point SC directive for separation of the judiciary.

The SC issued the directive to the government in 1999 to execute separation of the judiciary.

In late last year, the SC asked the government to submit the draft rules and other documents related to the separation.

When some of these were submitted, the court brought contempt charges against nine government officials, saying that they distorted the SC directives in the draft rules.

The SC also reprimanded the government for killing time.

Yesterday Attorney General Hassan Ariff informed the court that on February 16, the law ministry had forwarded all related rules and documents to the president for his approval.

Ariff, however, said he is not aware of the developments after that.