MULTAN – A district and sessions court on Monday handed down a seven-year prison sentence to Awami Raj Party chief and former MNA Jamshed Ahmed Dasti in a fake degree case.
The court convicted Dasti under several provisions of law, awarding him seven years under Section 468, three years under Section 82, two years under Section 420, another two years under Section 471 along with a fine of Rs10,000, and three years under Section 206.
The case was initiated by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), which stated that Dasti had contested the 2008 general elections from NA-178 Muzaffargarh on the basis of a madrassa-issued BA degree. However, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) later confirmed that no such degree existed in its records.
The ECP further argued that Dasti’s actions amounted to a violation of Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution for concealing facts, leading to his disqualification. On July 15, 2025, the ECP disqualified him after accepting a reference sent by then National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq.
Two days later, on July 17, police raided his residence in Muzaffargarh to arrest him, but Dasti escaped after his family and relatives offered strong resistance.
Dasti, however, has claimed political victimisation, alleging that the case was pushed after he submitted an affidavit to join the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).