Dual nationality case: Former MPA to serve one year in jail

Scrutiny of former members of the provincial and national assembly continues.

SWABI: Former Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) Javed Tarakai was sentenced to one year in jail and fined Rs5,000 by a district and sessions judge in a dual-nationality case, reported Express News on Tuesday.

It is a time of scrutiny for all former members of the provincial and national assembly as the time for general elections comes closer.

Earlier on Tuesday, another former MPA Khalifa Abdul Qayyum was sentenced to three years in jail along with a Rs5,000 penalty on the premise of a fake degree.

Having a graduation degree is no more a legal requirement to participate in elections, but anyone who is proved of having forged in the past stands disqualified to take part in the elections.

For the first time in Pakistan’s history, three of the country’s top institutions – State Bank of Pakistan, National Accountability Bureau and Federal Board of Revenue – will screen candidates’ backgrounds for criminal conviction, loan default, tax evasion and other financial irregularities.