President Zardari approves appointment of PML-N’s Nehal Hashmi as Sindh governor

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari approved on Thursday the appointment of PML-N’s Nehal Hashmi as Sindh governor, hours after it was announced that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif recommended his appointment to the post previously held by MQM’s Kamran Tessori.

“President Zardari has approved the appointment of Mr Nihal Hashmi as Sindh governor, acting on the advice of PM under Articles 48 and 101 of Pakistan’s Constitution,” a post on the Presidency’s X account said.

It added, “The Commission of Appointment has been signed. He (Hashmi) will take [his] oath before the chief justice of the Sindh High Court.”

Earlier, a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said PM Shehbaz had decided to appoint Hashmi as Sindh governor — a move which came as a surprise.

According to the PMO, PM Shehbaz met Hashmi at PM House on Tuesday and decided to nominate him as the governor of Sindh.

The premier the forwarded a summary in this regard to President Asif Ali Zardari for the final nod.

A video of the PM’s meeting with Hashmi showed Deputy PM Ishaq Dar and PM’s political adviser Rana Sanaullah present on the occasion.

Govt ‘bidding MQM farewell’: Farooq Sattar

Speaking to Geo News, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Farooq Sattar said that the party was not made aware of Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori’s removal, terming the move a “clear message” that the federal government did not “need” the party anymore.

He said that Chairman Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddique was consulting party members, and a principled reaction over the removal of Tessori was to be expected on Thursday night.

Sattar said that he learnt of the development on television, stating, “I think, everyone of us got this news via the media.”

Sattar complained that there “was no indication, no prior information, no consultation, and the government didn’t even take us into confidence”.

“This was a clear message to us by PM Shehbaz that they don’t need us anymore,” he maintained.

He further added: “The government has bid us farewell from their side, but now we have to see what moral justification we have to stay in the government.”

The MQM-P leader stressed that even the chairman was not aware of the decision.

“Khalid bhai expressed grief over the decision, and he also recorded his protest by calling the PMO, saying that we felt distressed and despaired after seeing decisions like this being made at a high level without taking us into confidence,” he said.

Sattar argued that the MQM-P should make the issue their “red line” and dissociate themselves from the government “immediately”. He added that by taking the action, the government has shown that “they did not need us anymore”.

“They didn’t take us into confidence, nor consulted us, while making a decision regarding our governor,” he said. He recalled that the position of the governor was “part of our agreement with the PML-N when we joined the government”.

Responding to a question on whether the PPP was blackmailing the government to remove Tessori from the position, Sattar said, “If the PML-N gave the governorship to us, then they should talk to PPP. Why this blackmailing?

“We have nothing to take from the PPP; they are associated with the government on their own, and we are also on our own.”

Sattar further added that there was no three-party agreement, stressing that MQM-P “had an agreement with PML-N only”.

“If the PML-N considers the PPP more important to them, then it’s okay, let them do it,” he declared. Sattar also criticised the PPP-led government in Sindh for “corruption and underdevelopment in the province”.

Earlier, MQM-P’s Punjab Coordinator Zahid Malik told Dawn that the move to replace Tessori began a couple of months ago and Hashmi’s appointment was sudden.

He said Tessori had been serving as the governor even before the incumbent government was formed, adding that there was an agreement between the PML-N and PPP that the next governor would be from the PML-N.

He contended the PPP wanted the change of governor as Tessori was “serving the people and somehow harming the PPP’s reputation” in Sindh.

Differences between PPP, MQM-P

The news of the removal of incumbent Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori, who belongs to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), has been circulating on social media for a few days.

While matters have been heated in recent months between the ruling PPP and MQM-P — both allies in the federal government — since the Gul Plaza incident, there had been concerns from the PPP since 2024 about Tessori’s role as the governor.

In April 2024, the PPP accused Tessori of “creating a political divide and further widening the gap between urban and rural areas of Sindh” and asked the PML-N-led government in the Centre to remove him from the post.

Then in August, amid reports that the Centre was considering replacing Tessori, the MQM-P threatened to quit the federal coalition government.

In December 2025, the MQM-P leadership shrugged off rumours about the possible removal of Tessori.

After the 2024 general elections, PPP and PML-N — with the support of other parties — had agreed on a cooperation mechanism to form a coalition government at the Centre.

As part of the deal, PPP has already got the posts of president, Senate chairman and National Assembly deputy speaker. PML-N also agreed to appoint PPP leaders as governors of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

In return, PPP had agreed to the PML-N’s right to appoint its nominees in Sindh and Balochistan as governors.

Suo-motu against Nehal Hashmi and disqualification

Veteran politician Hashmi last served as a PML-N senator after his election in March 2015.

A controversial speech the PML-N senator made in May 2017 had landed him in hot water, culminating in his disqualification in February 2018.

He was directed by his PML-N to tender his resignation from the Senate — which he later withdrew — while the party revoked his party membership.

On May 31, 2017, Hashmi resigned hours after a video surfaced showing him lashing out at “those investigating” then-PM Nawaz Sharif and his family. However, he later withdrew that resignation, although the PML-N had already revoked his party membership.

Hashmi’s outburst, which appeared to reflect the party’s conviction of the JIT’s partiality, included the warning: “Those who are scrutinising them [Sharif and his sons], we will not spare you.”

“Those grilling [the family] … [be warned that] we will arrange the day of judgment for you.”

“You are making the life of the prime minister difficult; the Pakistani nation will make it difficult for you to live,” he had warned, without taking any names.

Then-Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar had taken suo motu notice of Hashmi’s anti-judiciary speeches.

Eight months after his tirade against the judiciary, the Supreme Court convicted the PML-N senator of committing contempt of court and sent him to jail for one month, besides disqualifying him from holding any public office for five years.