Lahore (Web Desk): The Lahore High Court (LHC) has put a temporary halt to the by-election scheduled in NA-175 after a petition was submitted by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Jamshed Dasti.
During the proceedings, the court also issued a notice to the Attorney General, seeking legal input on the matter.
The petition, filed by Dasti, challenged his recent disqualification issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), prompting the court to suspend the by-election schedule until further notice.
On July 15, the ECP disqualified Dasti on grounds of possessing fake educational credentials. The decision followed a reference sent to the Commission by the Speaker of the National Assembly.
Two separate petitions were presented before the ECP requesting Dasti’s disqualification, both of which were accepted. The electoral body determined that Dasti’s academic documents were not authentic, ultimately barring him from holding a seat in the National Assembly.
The matter of Dasti's eligibility was reviewed by a three-member bench of the ECP, headed by Member Sindh Nisar Durrani. The bench had convened in May to hear a petition filed by a citizen named Amir Akbar, who raised concerns regarding Dasti’s declared assets and academic qualifications. During the hearing, a member representing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa inquired whether Dasti had failed to disclose any of his properties to the Commission.
The petitioner’s legal counsel maintained that Dasti had incorrectly claimed to have completed his FA on his nomination documents. The lawyer further argued that investigations revealed Dasti had neither completed his Matriculation nor FA, and that both his FA and BA degrees—allegedly from Bahawalpur University—were found to be forged.
Moreover, he initially submitted a Matric certificate from the Bahawalpur Board, which was later determined to be fake as well. In his response, Dasti attempted to validate his academic record by submitting a different Matric certificate issued by the Karachi Board.
This is not the first instance where Jamshed Dasti has faced disqualification from public office.
Over a decade ago, in 2010, he was removed from Parliament over similar allegations concerning fake academic degrees. That incident sparked a national conversation on the credibility and educational qualifications of elected officials.
Despite the controversy, Dasti managed to regain political ground by winning a re-election as a candidate of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) shortly thereafter.