MULTAN: A district and sessions court in Multan on Monday sentenced “Awami Raj Party” chief and former MNA Jamshed Ahmed Dasti to seven years in prison in a fake degree case.
The court convicted Dasti under multiple sections, 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 Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had filed the case, stating that Dasti contested the 2008 general election from NA-178 Muzaffargarh on the basis of a madrassa-issued BA degree.
However, the Higher Education Commission later confirmed that no record of the degree existed.
The ECP had argued that Dasti had violated Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution by concealing facts and should therefore be disqualified.
On July 15, 2025, the ECP had disqualified Dasti after accepting a reference sent by National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq.
Two days later, on July 17, police raided Dasti’s residence in Muzaffargarh to arrest him, but he managed to escape after his family and relatives put up strong resistance.
In a statement, Dasti had alleged that he was being politically victimised for submitting an affidavit to join the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.