KARACHI: A senior leader of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to reconsider the removal of Kamran Tessori as the Governor of Sindh.
MQM-P’s Senior Deputy Convener Farooq Sattar urged the premier to restore Tessori to the position, emphasizing that the decision should be reviewed. Tessori, who had been serving as governor for over three years, was recently replaced by Nehal Hashmi, a senior figure from Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
The MQM-P expressed dissatisfaction over the move, stating that the party was not consulted before the federal government made the decision. Despite this development, Hashmi has maintained that MQM-P and PML-N continue to be coalition partners at the federal level.
Tessori had assumed the governorship in October 2022 after the departure of Imran Ismail.
Profile of the new governor
Nehal Hashmi, born on January 28, 1960, in Karachi, is a veteran politician and lawyer. He began his legal career in the late 1980s and was politically active from his student days, during which he founded the All Pakistan Youth League.
Hashmi joined PML-N in 1992 and later served as an adviser on law, justice, and human rights to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif between 1997 and 1999. Over the years, he has held key party positions, including president of PML-N Karachi and general secretary in Sindh.
He was elected to the Senate in 2015, serving until 2018. However, his political career faced a setback in 2017 when he was expelled from the party following a controversial statement linked to the Panama Papers case in Pakistan. His membership was later restored in 2021.
In 2018, Hashmi was sentenced in a contempt of court case, resulting in a brief prison term, a fine, and disqualification from holding public office for five years. He completed his sentence and subsequently returned to political life.
