Jamshed Dasti sentenced to 7 years in fake degree case

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, handing down seven years under Section 468, three years under Section 82, two years under Section 420, two years under Section 471, three years under Section 206, along with a fine of Rs10,000.

The case was filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), which alleged 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 record of the degree existed.

According to the ECP, Dasti had violated Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution by concealing facts, leading to his disqualification. On July 15, 2025, the ECP formally disqualified him 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 escaped after his family and relatives resisted the arrest.

In response, Dasti claimed that he was being politically victimised for submitting an affidavit to join the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).