A sessions court in Multan has awarded a seven-year jail term to former MNA, Jamshed Dasti, after finding him guilty of using a fake academic degree to contest elections.
The case, initiated by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), alleged that Dasti contested the 2008 general elections based on a fraudulent Bachelor's degree. The Sindh Higher Education Commission confirmed "it held no record of the degree in question".
The prosecution argued that Dasti had violated Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution by concealing the truth about his qualifications and was therefore ineligible to hold public office. He was elected from NA-178 Muzaffargarh in 2008 but was later disqualified when the degree was declared invalid.
Despite previous disqualification, Dasti was re-elected in the 2024 general elections from NA-175 Muzaffargarh. However, he faced disqualification once again, this time for submitting a fake intermediate certificate.
In July 2025, the ECP disqualified Dasti following a reference sent by the National Assembly Speaker along with two petitions seeking his disqualification.
A three-member ECP bench, led by Member (Sindh) Nisar Durrani, heard a petition filed by Ameer Akbar, raising concerns over Dasti's assets, liabilities, and academic credentials. During the hearing, the K-P member of the ECP questioned whether Dasti had undisclosed assets and scrutinised the authenticity of his listed FA qualification.
The petitioner's counsel informed the commission that Dasti had falsely declared an intermediate qualification, whereas in reality, he had not even completed matriculation but submitted a matric certificate issued from the Karachi Board.
The ECP ruled in favour of the petitioners, approved two disqualification petitions, and directed that criminal proceedings be initiated against Dasti. Legal action is being pursued under Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution and Sections 4, 9, and 137 of the Elections Act, 2017.
In May 2025, the ECP ordered the education board in Karachi to verify Dasti's academic credentials, further intensifying the legal pressure on the controversial politician.
Dasti's political career, once rooted in populist rhetoric and independent politics, now appears to be marred by repeated legal setbacks and disqualifications tied to forged educational qualifications. Legal proceedings are ongoing, with further consequences expected in light of the recent convictions.
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