Nehal Hashmi. PHOTO: EXPRESS
LAHORE:
The PML-N’s decision to appoint Nehal Hashmi as governor of Sindh reflects a conciliatory approach to its ally, the PPPP – a move that well-placed party leaders say may preserve the peace but is unlikely to win the party any political mileage in the province.
Party insiders say the move signals a cautious political strategy in Sindh, where the PML-N has historically struggled to build a strong organizational base and must navigate its relationship with the PPP carefully.
Talking to The Express Pakinomist, a PML-N leader said that it was indeed a happy message for party workers to see a loyalist being rewarded in such a manner by the leadership.
He said Nehal Hashmi even stood by PML-N when the party rejected him and even demeaned him a bit. “He is a true ideological worker for the PML-N. But his appointment is a compromise at best.”
The leader added that party figures in Sindh might have preferred a more aggressive political player for the post.
According to the leader, it was understandable not to appoint PML-N Sindh president Bashir Memon given his longstanding differences with President Asif Ali Zardari, although he acknowledged that the party needed someone with Memon’s assertive style.
He said that it was not sensible to appoint PML-N Sindh President Bashir Memon given his longstanding problems with President Asif Ali Zardari. However, the party needed someone like him.
The leader further argued that the PML-N still lacked a strong organizational structure in Sindh.
He said PML-N has no real party structure in Sindh and added that those who put their blood and sweat in it wanted the party to take an aggressive line against PPP in Sindh to create some space for itself.
However, he noted that the party typically only adopted a confrontational tone against the Sindh government when tensions with the PPP escalated in Punjab.
“He said Nehal Hashmi’s appointment will only further this politics of appeasement. He said Nehal would also take on the Sindh government only when and where needed.”
He added that an unspoken understanding between the two parties was apparently aimed at avoiding open confrontation and preventing other political actors from taking advantage of disagreement.
He said that this unspoken policy between the two of peaceful coexistence is being guarded to ensure that no third player takes advantage of discord.
Another source said he had long believed that Irfan Memon would be the party’s choice for the Sindh governor’s seat.
The source noted that Irfan Memon’s hard-hitting stance against the PPP government in Sindh resonated with voters in interior Sindh and could have made him a strong candidate.
However, the source suggested that the PML-N might have mirrored the PPP’s political approach in Punjab. Since the PPP has appointed a toothless governor in Punjab, the PML-N may have retaliated by appointing a docile governor in Sindh, he added.
Former PML-N-appointed Sindh Governor Muhammad Zubair also commented on the development while talking to The Express Pakinomist. He said that Nehal was a good choice as far as PML-N was concerned. However, an election, he said, will not do the party any good.
Zubair said Bashir Memon’s perceived anti-Zardari stance may have worked against him. He also pointed to an informal political tradition related to ethnic balance in the province’s top offices.
He said there is also this unspoken rule that if the CM is from rural Sindh, then the governor must be of Mohajir descent. “And in this case, the CM is from a Sindhi background and if Memon has been selected, he was also from the same attitude, which is why someone from Mohajir descent was selected.”
