A decision has been made to appoint Nehal Hashmi as the new governor of Sindh, marking a significant political development in the province.
In a surprise move, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif forwarded the summary of the appointment to the president for approval.
The federal government has decided to appoint Nehal Hashmi as the Sindh governor. As part of the formal procedure, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif sent the appointment summary to the president of Pakistan for final approval.
Once approved, Hashmi will assume the constitutional role of the provincial governor.
PM meets and congratulates Hashmi
According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Nehal Hashmi and congratulated him on his appointment as the governor of Sindh.
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif and Rana Sanaullah also attended the meeting. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar was present as well.
According to the PMO, the PM had met Hashmi at PM House on Tuesday and decided to nominate him as the Sindh governor.
For the past few days, reports about the possible removal of the current Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori, who is affiliated with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement–Pakistan (MQM-P), were circulating on social media.
In December, however, the MQM-P leadership dismissed these rumours and denied any plans to remove Tessori from the position.
Who is Nehal Hashmi?
Born in 1960, Hashmi hails from Karachi. He studied law and is a lawyer by profession. He has been associated with the PML-N for many years and has held several important positions within the party. Hashmi has also served as the president of PML-N Karachi.
Political career
From 1997 to 1999, Nehal Hashmi served as the adviser to the prime minister on law, justice and human rights.
In 2012, he became the president of PML-N Karachi, and later in 2014, he was appointed general secretary of the PML-N Sindh chapter.
During the 2015 Senate elections, Hashmi was elected to a general seat as a PML-N candidate, becoming a member of the Senate.
Controversy and disqualification
In May 2017, his membership in the PML-N was suspended following a controversial statement that led to a contempt of court case.
He later resigned from his Senate seat for violating party discipline.
In 2018, the Supreme Court sentenced him to one month in prison and imposed a fine after a trial related to the controversial speech. The court also disqualified him from holding public office for five years.
