MULTAN – A District and Sessions Court on Monday sentenced Awami Raj Party chief and former Member of the National Assembly, Jamshed Dasti, to 17 years in prison in a long-standing fake degree case filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
The verdict was announced by District and Sessions Judge Multan, who found Jamshed Dasti guilty of multiple charges. These included forgery, use of forged documents, misrepresentation, and attempting to bribe.
According to the court ruling, the politician was given:
- Three years’ imprisonment under Section 82,
- Two years for forgery under Section 420,
- Seven years for preparing fake documents under Section 468,
- Two years for using forged documents under Section 471,
- Three years for attempting to offer a bribe under Section 206,
along with a fine of Rs10,000.
The case was initiated after the ECP alleged that Jamshed Dasti contested the 2008 general elections using a fake BA degree. The degree was said to have been issued by a madrassa, but the Higher Education Commission (HEC) confirmed that no such record existed.
The commission argued that the former lawmaker violated Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution by misrepresenting his qualifications and concealing the truth. Such actions, it stated, made him ineligible to hold public office.
Despite repeated summons from the court, Jamshed Dasti failed to appear, which eventually led to the ruling against him. His conviction highlights the continued crackdown on fake degree cases in Pakistani politics, which have long raised questions about credibility and transparency in the electoral process.
The judgment marks a major legal blow for the Awami Raj Party leader, once a vocal figure in parliament, and underscores the serious consequences of misrepresentation in public office.
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