Pakistan decides to appoint ruling party stalwart Nehal Hashmi as Sindh governor

Pakistan’s federal government has decided to remove Kamran Tessori as the Governor of Sindh and appoint senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nihal Hashmi as his successor.

Kamran Tessori has held the governorship since October 2022. The post had been vacant after Imran Ismail resigned before Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took office in April that year. Tessori is affiliated with MQM-Pakistan, a breakaway faction of the Altaf Hussain-led MQM. It has been a crucial ally of the ruling coalition led by the PML-N and PPP.

Nehal Hashmi, a long-standing PML-N leader, previously served as a senator and has been closely associated with the party’s leadership for many years, playing an active role in national politics. His appointment signals the ruling party’s strengthened position in Sindh, Pakistan’s second-most populous province.

According to official statement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has sent a summary to President Asif Ali Zardari seeking formal approval for Hashmi’s appointment. The prime minister also met Hashmi at the Prime Minister’s Office in Islamabad and congratulated him on his nomination.

The appointment will take effect once the president grants approval under the constitutional procedure for provincial governors. The Governor of Sindh acts as the federation’s constitutional representative in the province and performs key duties, including administering the oath to the chief minister and overseeing provincial governance processes.

The Prime Minister’s Office said further details regarding the appointment would be announced after the president formally approves the summary.

MQM's response

The MQM has reacted to the development, saying it learned about the change of the Sindh governor through media reports and was not taken into confidence by the federal government.

The party said it would soon decide its course of action.

Why the change?

The move comes amid political tensions following a conference held at the Governor House in Karachi two weeks ago, where participants called for greater transfer of powers to the grassroots level and the creation of new federating units. Several speeches during the event were critical of the PPP, which governs Sindh province.

MQM leaders have argued that while the PPP often speaks of provincial autonomy, it has not transferred sufficient powers to local governments. According to them, the central issue is the provincial government’s policies, which they say deny major urban centers such as Karachi adequate financial and administrative autonomy.

Following the conference, the PPP called for Tessori’s replacement as governor.

Sindh’s Provincial Minister Saeed Ghani said the way the Governor House was being used raised concerns for both the province and the federation. He alleged that certain federal ministers had attempted to provoke public sentiment while speaking at the venue and warned that a resurgence of ethnic politics could be dangerous.

Ghani also said that PM Sharif should fulfill his commitment by appointing either a governor from his own party or one nominated in consultation with the PPP.