Daily Times

LAHORE: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Monday allowed National Assembly member Jamshed Ahmad Dasti to engage a counsel to contest against the government’s appeal for restoration of his conviction in fake degree case.

A three-member full bench of the Supreme Court on Thursday issued notices to Dasti on an appeal filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) against his acquittal in bogus degree case. The bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Anwar Zaheer Jamali, heard the appeal at the Supreme Court Lahore registry.

An appeal was moved on behalf of the Election Commission of Pakistan, seeking restoration of sentence awarded to Dasti. Additional Prosecutor General Mazhar Sher Awan, on behalf of the appellate, said that the fake degree case was established against Dasti and he was declared guilty by a sessions’ court. He said that a person guilty of fraud did not deserve any concession or leniency, adding that Dasti had announced his resignation in front of the court after the hearing the verdict regarding his fake MA Islamiyat degree.

He submitted that the ECP’s regional office filed a complaint against Dasti on bogus degree charges in a trial court wherein he was awarded three years sentence but the Lahore High Court, Multan bench had set aside the sentence. He said that the decision of the LHC Multan bench was against the facts and pleaded the bench to set aside the decision and restore the sentence. He requested that Dasti’s sentence should be restored and he must face the music for the offence he had committed.

Dasti was convicted and sentenced to a three-year jail term by a district and sessions’ judge of Muzaffargarh on April 4, 2013, with a fine of Rs 5,000.He was also held disqualified from running in the elections.

In response to the notice, during the hearing on Monday, Dasti sought time to engage a counsel to defend himself. The full bench accepted his request and gave him time to dire counsel for legal assistance.