Jail term to ex-MNA suspended in fake degree case

LAHORE: A Lahore High Court division bench on Monday suspended three-year imprisonment awarded to a former MNA, Ijaz Chaudhry, by a trial court in a fake degree case and ordered his release on bail. Mandi Bahauddin district & sessions judge had awarded the former parliamentarian three-year imprisonment in a private complaint filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan. The commission had filed the complaint after the Supreme Court disqualified Chaudhry on the grounds of submitting a fake graduation degree and concealing assets at the time of filing of nomination papers for 2013 general election. Representing the former MNA, Advocate Pir Kaleem Khurshid argued before the bench that the prosecution never produced the alleged fake degree on record during the whole trial. Moreover, he said the petitioner was not afforded the opportunity of fair trial. The lawyer asked the bench to suspend the sentence and release the petitioner on bail. Convicts could be released on bail in cases of short term imprisonment, he added. However, a deputy prosecutor opposed the petition and said the petitioner was behind the bar for one month only. Even a convict of short term had to undergo at least six months behind the bar. The bench headed by Justice Abdul Sami Khan suspended the sentence and granted the former MNA bail.