A District and Sessions Court in Multan on Monday sentenced Awami Raj Party chief and former MNA Jamshed Dasti to 17 years in prison in a fake degree case initiated by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
District and Sessions Judge Multan found Dasti guilty on multiple charges, including forgery, use of forged documents, bribery attempt, and misrepresentation.
The Verdict
According to the judgment, the former lawmaker was awarded:
- 3 years under Section 82
- 2 years for forgery (Section 420)
- 7 years for preparing forged documents (Section 468)
- 2 years for using fake documents as originals (Section 471)
- 3 years for attempting to bribe (Section 206)
He was also fined Rs10,000.
Case Background
The ECP had filed the reference against Dasti, accusing him of contesting the 2008 general elections with a fake BA degree allegedly obtained from a madrassa. The Higher Education Commission (HEC) later confirmed no record of such a degree existed.
The commission argued that Dasti violated Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution by misrepresenting his qualifications, rendering him unfit for public office.
Despite repeated summons, the politician failed to appear in court, leading to the guilty verdict.
