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Nehal Hashmi of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was sworn in as governor of Sindh during an oath-taking ceremony at Governor House, Karachi, on Friday, NBTV News reported.
Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court, Justice Zafar Rajput, administered the oath to him. Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, provincial ministers, officials from the Bar Council, PML-N leaders and people from various walks of life also attended the ceremony.
Nehal replaces Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P)’s Kamran Tessori after President Asif Ali Zardari approved his appointment on the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
There had been growing speculation about a change at Governor’s House, with reports that the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in Sindh was unhappy with Tessori’s performance. Tessori had faced criticism from other political leaders and legal bodies for allegedly engaging in political activities from the Governor’s House, an office that is supposed to remain non-partisan.
Nehal, who hails from Karachi’s Malir district, has maintained a decades-long association with the PML-N. His political career began as a legal adviser to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif from 1997 to 1999.
The PML-N leader later took on key leadership roles within the party, serving as president of the PML-N Karachi chapter in 2012 before being appointed general secretary for the Sindh chapter in 2014.
In 2015, he was elected to the Senate on a PML-N seat from Punjab. Although his party membership was briefly suspended in 2017, it was formally restored in 2021, marking his return to the party’s core political circle.