Pakistan prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was on Thursday convicted by the supreme court for contempt on the issue of pursuing graft cases against president Asif Ali Zardari and was given a symbolic sentence that lasted briefly but questions remained whether he will be consequentially disqualified.

"For reasons to be recorded later, the prime minister is found guilty of contempt for willfully flouting the direction of the supreme court," justice Nasirul Mulk, who headed the seven-judge bench said as he sentenced Gilani "till the rising of the court", sparing him a jail term.

The court also made a reference to Article 63(1g) of the Constitution, which lists the grounds for disqualifications of a convicted parliamentarian, but did not invoke it.

"We note that our findings and the conviction for the contempt of court recorded are likely to entail some serious consequences in terms of Article 63(1g) of the Constitution," the bench said in a short order.

Experts said this left the door open for the initiation of the process for the disqualification of 56-year-old Gilani, Pakistan's longest serving prime minister.

However, the speaker of the national assembly or lower house of Parliament will have 30 days to decide on such a move and the Election Commission a further 90 days ? effectively meaning that the premier can remain in office for four more months.

The entire proceedings in the courtroom number 4 lasted less than 10 minutes. The judges left the court immediately after announcing the verdict, effectively ending Gilani's sentence.

Emerging from the heavily guarded court, Gilani told the media: "We had sought justice. The decision was not appropriate".

A visibly dejected prime minister, accompanied by his sons, shook hands with his team and members of the federal cabinet after hearing the verdict.

Attorney general Irfan Qadir described the verdict as "unconstitutional and unlawful".