A district and sessions court in Multan on Monday sentenced former Member of the National Assembly (MNA) Jamshed Ahmad Dasti to 17 years in prison in a case related to a fake academic degree, Aaj News reported.
The court awarded the sentence under multiple sections of the Pakistan Penal Code, including seven years under Section 468 (forgery), three years under Section 82, three years under Section 206, two years under Section 420 (cheating), and two years with a fine of Rs10,000 under Section 471 (using forged documents).
The case was initiated by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), which accused Dasti of presenting a madrassa certificate as a Bachelor of Arts degree when contesting from NA-178, Muzaffargarh.
Three-member bench to hear MNA Dasti’s plea
The Higher Education Commission confirmed no record existed of the degree he submitted.
On July 15 this year, the ECP had already declared Dasti ineligible to hold public office.
As of now, neither Dasti nor his legal representatives have issued a statement on the court’s ruling.