Ex-MNA Jamshed Dasti gets 17-year jail term in fake degree case
A District and Sessions Court on Monday sentenced Awami Raj Party chief and former MNA Jamshed Dasti to 17 years in prison in a long-running fake degree case filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), reproted 24NewsHDTV channel.
The verdict was announced by District and Sessions Judge Multan, who found Mr Dasti guilty on multiple counts, including forgery, use of forged documents, bribery attempt, and misrepresentation. He was sentenced to 3 years in prison under Section 82, 2 years under Section 420, 7 years under Section 468, 2 years under Section 471, 3 years in prison and fine under Section 200. Jamshed Dasti failed to appar before the court despite several notices.
The ECP had filed the reference against Mr Dasti, alleging that he contested the 2008 general elections on the basis of a forged BA degree purportedly obtained from a madrassa. However, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) confirmed that no record of such a degree existed.
The commission argued that Mr Dasti violated Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution by concealing the truth and misrepresenting his qualifications, thereby rendering him ineligible for public office. Despite repeated summons, Mr Dasti failed to appear before the court, which ultimately ruled against him.
Earlier, on July 16, 2025 in a reference filed by the National Assembly Speaker, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified member of the National Assembly (MNA) Jamshed Dasti for holding a fake intermediate degree.
The three-member ECP bench was headed by Nisar Ahmad Durrani, with Shah Mohammad Jatoi and Justice (retd) Ikram Ullah Khan as members.
However, PTI has criticised the election watchdog alleging that it did not de-seat the PML-N president for submitting a fake consent affidavit, claiming that PTI MNA Adil Khan Bazai had joined the PML-N. The party claimed that a genuinely elected public representative and a staunch supporter of Imran Khan had been disqualified unjustly.
A three-member ECP bench declared Mr Dasti’s seat vacant after finding him guilty of submitting a fake degree. The bench ruled that the MNA had committed an offence punishable under the Election Act, recommending legal action against him.
Jamshed Dasti was elected from NA-175 during the current tenure of the National Assembly. Earlier this year, ECP had sent Jamshed Dasti’s educational credentials to the Karachi education board for verification.