A District and Sessions Court on Monday sentenced Awami Raj Party chief and former MNA Jamshed Dasti to 17 years in prison in a long-running fake degree case filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The verdict was announced by District and Sessions Judge Multan, who found Mr Dasti guilty on multiple counts, including forgery, use of forged documents, bribery attempt, and misrepresentation.

According to the judgment, the politician was handed down:

Three years’ imprisonment under Section 82,
Two years for forgery under Section 420,
Seven years for preparing forged documents under Section 468,
Two years for using fake documents as originals under Section 471,
Three years for attempting to give a bribe under Section 206,
along with a fine of Rs10,000.

The case

The ECP had filed the reference against Mr Dasti, alleging that he contested the 2008 general elections on the basis of a forged BA degree purportedly obtained from a madrassa. However, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) confirmed that no record of such a degree existed.

The commission argued that Mr Dasti violated Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution by concealing the truth and misrepresenting his qualifications, thereby rendering him ineligible for public office.

Despite repeated summons, Mr Dasti failed to appear before the court, which ultimately ruled against him.