Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has formally proposed the appointment of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader Nehal Hashmi as the new Governor of Sindh. The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed that a summary for Hashmi’s appointment has been forwarded to President Asif Ali Zardari for final approval.
Meeting and Nomination
According to an official statement, PM Shehbaz met with Hashmi in Islamabad on March 12, 2026, and congratulated him on the proposed appointment. The move sets the stage for a significant change in the province’s top constitutional office.
Replacing the Incumbent
Upon presidential assent, Nehal Hashmi will assume the office of Sindh Governor, succeeding Kamran Khan Tessori of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P). Speculation about a change in the Sindh governorship has persisted for months, with reports suggesting the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in Sindh was dissatisfied with Tessori’s tenure.
Nehal Hashmi’s Political Profile
Hashmi, a lawyer from Karachi’s Malir area, is a long-standing PML-N figure with a varied political career:
- Served as Adviser to former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Law and Justice from 1997 to 1999.
- Acted as President of PML-N’s Karachi chapter in 2012.
- Appointed General Secretary of the party’s Sindh chapter in August 2014.
- Elected as a PML-N Senator from a Punjab seat in 2015.
- Had his party membership suspended in 2017, which was restored in 2021.
His nomination marks a strategic placement of a seasoned party loyalist in a key provincial role, potentially reshaping the political dynamics in Sindh.
