Dasti sets record of having 7 ‘degrees’

ISLAMABAD: Jamshed Dasti has set a new record: he obtained seven degrees — from Dera Ghazi Khan to Multan, Bahawalpur, and then Karachi — and all turned out bogus or invalid.

Although, he was issued warnings and summoned to various forums, he remained undeterred. Ultimately, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had the last laugh, disqualifying him from holding public office just a couple of days ago.

The record presented to the ECP by Barrister Zafrullah Khan, counsel for the complainant, showed that Dasti’s first degree — a matriculation certificate — was quashed in 2002. Three years later, his intermediate certificate was also declared invalid by DG Khan’s Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education.

In 2008, Dasti managed to obtain Shahadat-ul-Almia — a religious degree considered equivalent to a graduation, which had become a requirement for contesting the National Assembly elections under General Pervez Musharraf. He used this degree to contest an election, but it was challenged. When the case reached the Supreme Court, a bench led by Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry tested his religious knowledge — and he failed to answer a single question. The bench urged him to resign or be disqualified. Dasti opted to resign.

Undeterred, he continued his pursuit of degrees. He obtained FA and BA credentials from Islamia University Bahawalpur and used the latter to enroll in an LLB programme — but failed the first-year exam. When he contested the 2024 election, these degrees came under fresh scrutiny.

Though he won the election, investigations revealed that both his FA and BA degrees from Islamia University were bogus. While the matter was being adjudicated, the National Assembly Speaker forwarded a reference to the ECP. Summoned by the ECP, Dasti insisted that the FA degree he submitted with his nomination papers was genuine — and even submitted another one apparently issued by the Karachi Board.

However, when the ECP sent the documents for verification, a new discrepancy emerged: Dasti’s legal name is recorded as Jamshaid Ahmad, son of Sultan Mahmood, while the Karachi Board had Jamsheed Ahmad, son of Sultan Mahmood — with the same year of birth (1978) but a different date and month. To add to his troubles, the ECP also found evidence that he concealed assets — another allegation that solidified his disqualification.