ISLAMABAD: In a reference filed by the Natio­nal Assembly Speaker, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tues­day disqualified member of the National Assembly (MNA) Jamshed Dasti for holding a fake intermediate degree.

The three-member ben­ch was headed by Nisar Ahmad Durra­­ni, with Shah Mohammad Jatoi and Justice (retd) Ik­­ram Ullah Khan as members.

However, PTI has criticised the election watchdog alleging that it did not de-seat the PML-N president for submitting a “fake” consent affidavit, claiming that PTI MNA Adil Khan Bazai had joined the PML-N. The party claimed that a genuinely elected public representative and a staunch supporter of Imran Khan had been disqualified unjustly.

A three-member ECP bench declared Mr Dasti’s seat vacant after finding him guilty of submitting a fake degree. The bench ruled that the MNA had committed an offence pu­­nishable under the Elec­tion Act, recommending legal action against him.

It is worth mentioning that Mr Dasti, elected from NA-175 during the current tenure of the National Assembly, was a powerful voice against the ruling party in the House. Earlier this year, ECP had sent Mr Dasti’s educational credentials to the Karachi education board for verification.

Meanwhile, PTI Cent­ral Information Secretary Sheikh Waqqas Akram lashed out at the electoral watchdog for not de-seating the PML-N president over the allegedly fake affidavit regarding MNA Adil Khan Bazai.

He asserted that such desperate and “illegal” ac­­tions could neither sile­nce the voice of the people nor prolong the government’s grip on power, adding the rising tide of public dissent would soon sweep away their “unconstitutional” rule.

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2025