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ISLAMABAD, Jul 15 (APP):The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday disqualified Member of the National Assembly Jamshed Dasti on grounds of possessing a fake academic credentials.
The commission accepted a reference sent by the Speaker of the National Assembly along with two petitions seeking Dasti’s disqualification.
A three-member Election Commission bench, led by ECP Member (Sindh) Nisar Durrani, heard a petition filed by Ameer Akbar concerning the assets and liabilities of MNA Jamshed Dasti.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) member of the Election Commission questioned whether MNA Jamshed Dasti possessed any undisclosed property.
In response, the petitioner’s lawyer argued that Dasti had listed an FA (Intermediate) qualification on his nomination papers, despite not having completed his matriculation.
The petitioner’s lawyer added that Jamshed Dasti had only submitted his matriculation certificate from the Karachi Board in response. Upon hearing this, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) member of the Election Commission remarked that the ECP held the authority to disqualify him.
The decision followed the approval of two petitions against him, one of which was a reference filed by the National Assembly Speaker seeking his disqualification.
The Election Commission has also directed authorities to initiate legal proceedings against Jamshed Dasti.
In May, the Election Commission decided to have Jamshed Dasti’s academic credentials authenticated by the Karachi Education Board.
Jamshed Dasti, elected from NA-175 Muzaffargarh in the previous general elections, faced legal proceedings under Articles 62 and 63, as well as Sections 4, 9, and 137 of the Elections Act, 2017. Petitions seeking his disqualification were filed by Ameer Akbar, Zulfiqar Dogar, and Sardar Faizul Hassan.
Meanwhile, the ECP rejected opposition leader Omar Ayub’s request to drop the assets-related case, and adjourned the hearing until July 29.
A five-member bench, led by the Chief Election Commissioner, convened to hear the case concerning Omar Ayub’s assets.
Representing the PTI leader and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, his lawyer contended that asset and liability details are mandated to be submitted by December 31.
According to the rules, the Election Commission is authorized to initiate a complaint against a Member of the Assembly within 120 days of receiving inaccurate asset declarations. However, in this instance, the Commission issued the notice after April 29 this year.
Omar Ayub’s counsel contended that the Election Commission’s notice violated procedural rules and urged its withdrawal. However, the Commission dismissed the request.
Election Commission member Shah Mohammad clarified to Omar Ayub’s legal counsel that the initial notice was issued within the prescribed timeframe and affirmed that the Election Commission had ensured the provision of a fair trial.