KARACHI: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nehal Hashmi took oath as the Sindh governor on Friday in a ceremony held at the Governor House in Karachi, replacing MQM-P’s Kamran Khan Tessori.
Sindh High Court Chief Justice Zafar Ahmed Rajput administered the oath, with senior provincial officials and political leaders attending the ceremony. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, Sindh Home Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar, and other provincial ministers were present at the event.
Hashmi assumed the office a day after President Asif Ali Zardari approved his appointment on the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, according to official statements.
Appointment approved by president
Officials said the prime minister had forwarded a summary recommending Hashmi’s appointment as Sindh governor to the president for approval. Following the approval, the oath-taking ceremony was arranged at the Governor House in Karachi.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Shehbaz Sharif met Hashmi in Islamabad and congratulated him on his appointment.
Political reaction and transition
The development comes after the tenure of outgoing governor Kamran Khan Tessori, who left for Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah shortly before the transition. Sources said he plans to stay there for several days.
A spokesperson for the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) said the party had not been taken into confidence regarding the decision and would determine its response after internal consultations.
Political background of Nehal Hashmi
Nehal Hashmi, a lawyer by profession, belongs to Karachi’s Malir area and has been associated with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz for several years.
He served as adviser to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on law and justice from 1997 to 1999. In 2012, he was appointed president of the party’s Karachi chapter and later became general secretary of PML-N’s Sindh chapter in 2014.
Hashmi was elected to the Senate in 2015 on a PML-N ticket. His party membership was suspended in 2017 and restored in 2021.
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