Nehal Hashmi. PHOTO: EXPRESS
LAHORE:
PML-N’s decision to appoint Nehal Hashmi as governor of Sindh reflects a conciliatory approach towards its ally, the PPPP — a move that, according to well-placed party leaders, may keep 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 organisational base and must navigate its relationship with the PPP carefully.
Talking to The Express Tribune, a PML-N leader said that it was indeed a glad tiding for party workers to see a loyalist being rewarded in such a manner by the leadership.
He said that Nehal Hashmi even stood by PML-N when the party disowned him and even somewhat belittled him. “He is a true ideological worker of the PML-N. However, his appointment is at best a compromise.”
The leader added that party figures in Sindh might have preferred a more aggressive political player for the position.
According to the leader, not appointing PML-N Sindh President Bashir Memon was understandable given his longstanding differences with President Asif Ali Zardari, though he acknowledged that the party needed someone with Memon’s assertive style.
He said that not appointing PML-N Sindh President Bashir Memon made sense, given his long-standing issues with President Asif Ali Zardari. However, the party needed someone like him.
The leader further argued that the PML-N still lacked a strong organisational structure in Sindh.
He said that PML-N does not have any real party structure in Sindh, adding that those who are putting in their blood and sweat wanted the party to toe an aggressive line against PPP in Sindh to create some space for themselves.
However, he noted that the party typically adopted a confrontational tone against the Sindh government only when tensions with the PPP escalated in Punjab.
“He said that Nehal Hashmi’s appointment will only advance that appeasement policy. He said that Nehal too would only take on the Sindh government when and where needed.”
He added that an unspoken understanding between the two parties appeared aimed at avoiding open confrontation and preventing other political players from benefiting from discord.
He said that this unsaid policy between the two to peacefully coexist is being guarded to ensure that no third players take advantage of any discord.
Another source said he had long believed Irfan Memon would be the party’s choice for the Sindh governor’s slot.
The source noted that Irfan Memon’s hard-hitting stance against the PPP government in Sindh resonated strongly 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 PPP has appointed a toothless governor in Punjab, PML-N might have reciprocated it by appointing a docile governor in Sindh, he added.
Former PML-N-appointed Sindh governor Muhammad Zubair also commented on the development while speaking to The Express Tribune. He said that Nehal was a good choice as far as PML-N was concerned. A choice, he said, won’t do any good for the party, though.
Zubair said Bashir Memon’s perceived anti-Zardari stance may have counted against him. He also pointed to an informal political tradition related to ethnic balance in the province’s top offices.
He said that there is also this unsaid rule that if CM is from rural Sindh, then the governor should be of Mohajir descent. “And in this case, CM is from a Sindhi background, and if Memon has been selected, he too was from the same leaning, which was why someone from Mohajir descent was chosen.”
