Dasti, Nisar back in the game!

Former member of National Assembly Jamshed Dasti announced on Thursday he will contest elections from Muzaffargarh NA-177 and 178 after the election tribunal cleared him of all charges on Wednesday, while Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan was also cleared to contest elections from NA-53 Rawalpindi.
Dasti’s announcement came as he spoke to journalists after being released from the Multan central jail.
On April 4, Dasti was disqualified from elections, handed a three-year sentence in jail and a Rs 5,000 penalty by the Muzaffargarh District and Sessions court on account of having a fake degree.
Later, the Lahore High Court Multan Bench ordered his release and declared the three-year jail term handed to him as null and void on grounds that he had not misrepresented or deceived authorities over his madrassah degree.
“It is a win for the poor. Me and my family will fight against the feudal system,” Dasti said addressing a press conference. “I had said time and again that my degree was not fake, and now I am proven right,” said a smiling Dasti.
Dasti had announced earlier that neither he nor anyone from his family would contest elections. “I was really disappointed at that time and decided to leave politics, but my supporters want me back,” Dasti said. Former leader of opposition in National Assembly (NA) Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan’s nomination papers for the constituency of NA-53 Rawalpindi were accepted by the election tribunal also, that dismissed the returning officer’s decision on Thursday.
A returning officer had rejected Nisar’s papers during the scrutiny process for not declaring accurate details about his assets.
The former opposition leader had filed an appeal against the decision before the tribunal, which was accepted.
Following the tribunal’s verdict, Nisar’s supporters chanted slogans in his favour along with his lawyer, who gave a short poignant speech.
A few days earlier, Pakistan Telecommunication Corporation Limited (PTCL) had issued a list of 284 former members of the NA who had not paid their telephone bills. Per the list, Nisar owed Rs 96,000 to PTCL. The list was provided to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for the nomination papers’ verification process.