KARACHI:
In a sudden change in Sindh’s political landscape, PML-N leader Nehal Hashmi was appointed governor of the province, replacing Kamran Tessori, on Thursday after President Asif Ali Zardari approved a summary submitted by the Prime Minister’s Office.
The move, initiated by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif earlier this week, sparked a strong reaction from coalition partner Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), exposing fresh tensions within the ruling alliance.
According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Thursday, the prime minister met Hashmi at the Prime Minister House earlier in the week and decided to nominate him for the constitutional post.
The approval was granted on the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz under Articles 48 and 101 of the Constitution.
The president also signed the appointment commission formalizing Hashmi’s nomination for the constitutional position, according to a press release from the presidency.
President Zardari congratulated Nehal Hashmi on his appointment and extended his best wishes for the successful discharge of his responsibilities as Governor.
He added that Nehal Hashmi will assume his duties after taking oath before the Chief Justice of Sindh High Court (SHC).
A video of the meeting showed Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Prime Minister’s Advisor on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah present during the interaction.
Nehal Hashmi later expressed his gratitude to the party leadership after his nomination.
Speaking to Express News, Hashmi said he was grateful to party leader Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Shehbaz for nominating him for the post.
“God willing, I will work to resolve public problems in Karachi and the rest of Sindh,” he said.
Hashmi added that he would adopt an inclusive approach and seek to strengthen cooperation between the federal and Sindh governments.
“I will take everyone along, stay in touch with all stakeholders and work to further strengthen the working relationship between the federal and Sindh governments,” he said.
The change marks a significant shift in the political equation of the province as the Sindh governorship moved from the MQM-P to the PML-N.
Karachi-based Nehal Hashmi’s name has been finalized as the new governor of Sindh, making him the 33rd governor of the province. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his colleagues congratulated Hashmi in Islamabad on Thursday.
MQM-P leader Farooq Sattar, considered close to Kamran Tessori, told Express PAkGazette that the federal government decided to change the Sindh governor to appease the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
According to him, the decision strengthens the worst and corrupt system that has been imposed in Sindh for the last eighteen years. He added that if its governor is removed without any reason, the MQM-P has no justification to remain in government.
MQM-P leader Faisal Sabzwari also told reporters that the PML-N did not consult his party on the decision to change the governor.
Quoting party president Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, he said Kamran Tessori has been removed and Nehal Hashmi appointed governor, and the party will now decide its future course of action.
He added that the region is already under tension due to war situations and since the MQM-P is an important ally of the federal government, it would have been better if they had been entrusted with it.
The MQM-P itself remains divided internally between the Bahadurabad group and Mustafa Kamal’s faction, with some quarters within the party blaming Kamran Tessori for the split. In such circumstances, the sudden dismissal of the party governor has caused turmoil within the ranks of the MQM.
However, an MQM leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the party has accepted the change of governor and has no intention of launching a protest movement or quitting the government, contrary to Farooq Sattar’s earlier statement.
According to him, Sattar’s suggestion to quit the government could be his personal opinion, possibly due to his closeness to Kamran Tessori.
From the time Kamran Tessori joined the MQM, becoming the party’s deputy coordinator and later governor of Sindh, he was regarded within the MQM as a figure with strong connections from Karachi to Rawalpindi and Islamabad, something that party leaders often acknowledged.
Now the question arises: was it really that easy to remove someone who had secured such an important federal position in the province in such a short time?
Sources say the establishment group that advanced Tessori is no longer as strong in government formation as it once was. Meanwhile, the PPP had been putting pressure on both the federal government and the establishment, saying that anyone could be appointed governor, but Kamran Tessori was unacceptable.
Sources further said that Tessori had been harshly criticizing the Sindh government for quite some time, and the criticism intensified after the Gul Plaza incident. After the Gul Plaza incident, statements made during a conference at the Governor House about placing Karachi under federal control or creating a separate province triggered serious tensions between the PPP and the governor, making reconciliation almost impossible.
Separatist groups in Sindh were also unlikely to support the PPP unless Tessori was removed.
These groups are strongly opposed to Karachi being a separate province.
On Thursday, Kamran Tessori hosted his last iftar party at the Governor House and spoke in a somber tone.
“I was not a silent, deaf or ceremonial governor, and I do not want to be. I have been punished for becoming the voice of the victims of Gul Plaza.”
In his characteristic style, Tessori added: “The party has only just begun. I will continue to speak out for the rights of Karachi and against the incompetence of the Sindh government.”
Congratulating Nihal Hashmi, he said, “I am not one to be scared. Those who should be scared are those whose secrets I know.”
Kamran Tessori was the second governor of the MQM. Before him, Ishrat-ul-Ibad Khan was governor of Sindh for 13 years, 10 months and 13 days, the longest tenure in the history of the province. He left office and went abroad after MQM founder Altaf Hussain’s anti-Pakistan speech on August 22, 2016.
Nihal Hashmi is the third governor of the PML-N. Previously, Mamnoon Hussain served as governor in 1999, while Muhammad Zubair held the position during 2017-2018.
Since the creation of Pakistan, Sindh has had four permanent governors and one acting governor from the PPP, one from the PTI and one from the PML-Q, six under military administration, two under civil administration and two appointed by the judiciary between 1988 and 1990.
Since independence, only one woman has served as governor of Sindh: Begum Ra’ana Liaquat Ali Khan, who held the position from 1973 to 1976.
