- Farooq Sattar urges the Prime Minister to reconsider his decision.
- Tessori was replaced by the government last week.
- Tessori became governor in October 2022.
KARACHI: A senior leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has demanded the restoration of Karam Tessori as Sindh governor.
In a statement, MQM-P senior deputy leader Farooq Sattar said, “Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif should reconsider his decision to remove Kamran Tessori and reinstate him. [as the Sindh governor]”.
Tessori, an MQM-P leader, was removed from office last week, with the government appointing Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) stalwart Nehal Hashmi in his place.
Following the Prime Minister’s decision to recommend Hashmi for the post, the MQM-P said the party had not received the confidence of the federal government over the decision.
Tessori became governor in October 2022 following the departure of Imran Ismail.
Hashmi, meanwhile, after being sworn in as governor last week, said the MQM-P remained an ally of the PML-N despite the change – the parties are coalition partners at the Centre.
Who is the new governor?
Born in Karachi on January 28, 1960, Hashmi is a prominent lawyer and veteran politician. He began practicing law in the late 1980s and had founded a political organization called the All Pakistan Youth League during his student years, according to News.
He formally joined the PML-N in 1992 and served as an advisor on law, justice and human rights to then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from 1997 to 1999. Hashmi also played an important legal role in several high-profile cases, including those related to Nawaz and the Murtaza Bhutto court.
He later served as president of PML-N Karachi in 2012 and was appointed general secretary of the party in Sindh in August 2014. Hashmi became a member of the Senate of Pakistan in March 2015 and served until February 2018.
In 2017, he was expelled from the party following a controversial statement related to the Panama Papers affair in Pakistan, but his party membership was reinstated in 2021.
In February 2018, he was sentenced to one month in jail and fined 50,000 rupees in a contempt of court case, leading to the revocation of his term as senator and a five-year disqualification. He was released after serving his sentence.
