Nehal Hashmi Sworn In as New Sindh Governor
PML-N leader Nehal Hashmi took oath as the new governor of Sindh on Friday, March 13, 2026. Sindh High Court Chief Justice Zafar Ahmed Rajput administered the oath during a ceremony at the Governor’s House in Karachi.
Senior politicians attended the event. PPP leader Saeed Ghani and Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah were present. The ceremony was shown live on television.
President Asif Ali Zardari approved Hashmi’s appointment on Thursday. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif recommended his name just a day earlier. The PM Office released a short statement. It said the prime minister met Hashmi at the PM House and decided to nominate him for the post.
Hashmi replaces MQM’s Kamran Tessori. Hashmi is a longtime PML-N politician. He won a Senate seat in March 2015 on a PML-N ticket. However, a controversial speech in May 2017 led to trouble. The Senate disqualified him in February 2018.
MQM-P Reacts Strongly to the Change
The appointment surprised MQM-P. The party said Islamabad did not consult them before removing Tessori. MQM-P called the decision a “grave mistake.” They promised to decide their next steps soon.
Outgoing Governor Kamran Tessori spoke to media at the Governor’s House on Thursday. He said if he faced punishment for raising issues like Gul Plaza and the Karachi Bachao Conference, he would keep speaking for the city. Tessori added he could name who removed him and on whose orders, but he chose silence.
He congratulated Hashmi on television news. Tessori wished him success and asked him to carry on the work started during his time. He said no one stays in office forever. He made it clear he was never a “mute, deaf or dummy governor” and never wanted to be one.
Hashmi now takes charge at a time when political ties between PML-N and its allies remain sensitive.
