The decision to nominate Nehal Hashmi is seen as a strategic move by PML-N, signaling a cautious coexistence and potential thaw in relations with the PPP. This development could impact the political landscape.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has decided to appoint PML-N’s Nehal Hashmi as the new Sindh governor, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.

MQM-P criticizes PPP, PML-N, JI, and PTI for their anti-Karachi stance, highlighting the disparity where a party winning 170 seats is in jail while a party with 80 seats forms the government.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Monday said that the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was living in the stone age, critising the province’s government for not taking steps for development in the age of technology. Addressing a laptop distribution scheme at a Gujrat university, CM Maryam highlighted that students in Punjab had access to Honhaar scholarships, laptop schemes, Parwaz Card, green buses and technical training programmes. “So there is Honhaar here, and incitement there, but this is nothing to rejoice about,” she said, adding that she was extremely upset that the “people of KP were still living in the stone age”. Maryam stated: “They do not know what development is. They do not realise that Honhaar scholarships also exist if one does not have the resources for their child’s studies. “They do not know that you must have a gadget or a laptop or an iPad or a computer in your hands if you are to meet global standards in today’s age.” Indirectly noting that the PTI had been in power in KP for the past “13 years”, she said the public there “does not even know what development is”. The chief minister quipped that the KP government’s response to every need was that it was providing them “awareness”. Maryam emphasised that blocking major roads in KP did not affect the businesses in Punjab but rather the economic activity of KP itself. During her address, Maryam also recalled the time when her mother Kulsoom Nawaz was hospitalised due to cancer in 2017 and 2018, as well as when her father and ex-premier Nawaz Sharif was ill during his imprisonment in 2019. Noting that Nawaz was in his 70s when he was jailed, the Punjab CM said, “He got sick after multiple heart attacks and his platelets dropped. He had cardiac pain [but] such a joke was made out of his ailment.” She continued: “When my father and I were in jail, my mother was diagnosed with cancer and her disease was ridiculed so much; it was even said that she was not sick and it is all a drama.” Maryam then recalled that Kulsoom was on a ventilator in a London hospital when certain individuals “entered the ICU through deception by wearing doctors’ uniforms to verify whether it was true or false”. “When my mother passed away, my father said, ‘One has to die to prove their innocence here’,” she said, adding that she was in a jail cell when Nawaz informed her about Kulsoom’s death. The PML-N leader then played some old video clips of ex-premier Imran Khan from when he was in power. In the clips, the PTI founder threatened to get the TV and air conditioner removed from the prisons of the PML-N leadership. Maryam asserted: “I am swearing by God that till today, neither I nor Nawaz Sharif or Shehbaz Sharif even thought of removing his AC or shutting off his food and TV. “In fact, Nawaz Sharif said one day that he (Imran) has one AC, give him two ACs as he should not face any problems.” She further said she was the “first woman” to be locked in the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) jail and a cell had to be vacated for her as they did not have a dedicated women’s prison. The Punjab CM then played another video of ex-PM Imran, wherein he commented on the “long list” of health issues Nawaz was facing. “You can have differences on policies and policies, but you cannot turn political disagreements into personal enmities,” Maryam emphasised. “My children, you must never do this,” she told the audience, referring to the actions taken by the PTI government of jailing PML-N leadership and “making fun” of the ailments. “The time circles back, but my father was telling me at dinner the other day to never wish bad for even one’s political opponents,” she said. “You all must not do what he or his party is doing,” the politician stressed. “Those who are ill, we pray that God may give them recovery soon,” she added. Speaking on Imran’s current health issues, Maryam said, “The kind of facilities and the doctors he needs are being provided to him, and I am telling you this on oath that no one wishes ill for him.” She called for lies, accusations, incitement, vandalism and fitna to be “thrown out” of politics.

PML-N leader Nehal Hashmi has been sworn in as the new governor of Sindh, following his surprise appointment and taking the oath today in Karachi.

Incarcerated PTI leader Dr Yasmin Rashid has approached the Supreme Court to overturn PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif's election victory from Lahore’s NA-130 constituency in the 2024 general elections.

Party holds induction ceremony attended by Minister for Kashmir Affairs Amir Maqam, PML-N AJK President Rana Ghulam

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remained cut off from rest of the country on Sunday as activists of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf continued their protest on third consecutive day and blocked all entry and exit points of the province. The PTI activists have blocked Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway at Swabi’s Anbar Interchange, GT Road at Khairabad Bridge, Dera Ismail Khan-Bhakkar Road, Lakki Marwat-Mianwali Road, Hazara Motorway at Abbottabad-Havelian Interchange, Kohat-Pindi Road near Khushal Garh and Upper Kohistan-Gilgit Karakoram Highway. Protesters remained present all the time at exit and entry points and did not allow a single vehicle to enter the province, causing serious problems to passengers and motorists destined to Islamabad and other parts of the country. Former governor Shah Farman, PTI Peshawar district president Irfan Saleem, deputy secretary information Ikram Khattana and other leaders of the party were present at Khairabad Bridge, connecting Attock district of Punjab with KP. Commuters, motorists face hardships Protesters have been demanding of the government to shift PTI founder Imran Khan from jail to hospital for treatment of his eye by doctors of his choice. Speaking on the occasion, Shah Farman said that under Article-4 of the Constitution, no authority could deny treatment of his choice to a patient. He said that the people, who were not allowing treatment of Imran Khan through doctors of his choice, would be responsible if his eye was further damaged. PTI workers blocked Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway near Swabi Interchange to all types of traffic, vowing to stay on roads till Imran Khan was shifted to hospital for medical treatment. Vendors were seen selling various eatables while setting up stalls on motorway, converting it into a market. PTI Swabi general secretary Afsar Khan told journalists that they were not ready to go back homes under any circumstances. “We will continue to sit here and if our demand is not accepted. This protest will continue. The federal government is responsible for the prevailing mess in the country,” he said. Stranded commuters said that government should take action against PTI workers to open the motorway to traffic because people, especially patients, were facing difficulties. “Where should we go, who should we beg, who should we ask and who should we request to open the motorway,” questioned Shahzad Khan, a resident of Peshawar. Uzair Khan, a resident of Gundam who was seriously injured in a firing incident on Saturday, was not allowed to reach a hospital in Peshawar through motorway. The circumstances forced his family to pass through Swabi and Mardan but he did not reach hospital and passed away. His relatives said that PTI workers were responsible for his death. During the last three days, it has been observed, that there is no rush at daytime at the venue of protest. In the afternoon youth start to arrive at rest area and in the evening there is a lot of crowd on motorway. PTI workers blocked roads at four key points in Dera Ismail Khan district on Sunday, suspending traffic and causing inconvenience to commuters and motorists. The sit-ins were held on Bhakkar Road, Multan Road, Chashma Road and CPEC route, bringing vehicular movement to a standstill at these locations. As a result, long queues of vehicles were seen on major arteries. Witnesses said that several commuters remained stranded for hours, while alternative routes also experienced heavy congestion due to diverted traffic. The protest is being held on the call of PTI central leaders, who have urged workers to demonstrate over the deteriorating health of Imran Khan and demand his immediate release. The district administration was monitoring the situation while residents called for restoration of traffic flow to ease their hardships. PTI activists continued protest demonstrations in Lakki Marwat and Karak districts on the second consecutive day on Sunday. A good number of party workers led by former district nazim Ishfaq Ahmad Khan Minakhel gathered at Darra Tang Point where they closed Bannu-Mianwali road, linking KP with Punjab and Islamabad via CPEC route. The closure of road on the second consecutive day troubled transporters and commuters as passenger and good transport vehicles queued up on both sides of the main artery. On the occasion, the former district nazim said that denial of access to healthcare and maltreatment by federal government had led to loss of Imran’s vision. He said that PTI activists had come on roads to hold peaceful protests against the PML-N government, which was responsible for the poor health of their party leader. In Karak, the PTI workers gathered outside Nashapa oil and gas field and staged a sit-in there. They stopped supply from the oil and gas field as oil tankers could not enter or come out of the area. An official of district administration confirmed disruption of oil supply from the field. PTI district president Inayat Khattak said that leaders and workers of the party decided in a meeting to shut down oil and gas fields in Makori, Nashapa and Gurguri to record their protest against non-provision of treatment facilities to Imran Khan. Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2026

PM replaces MQM's Kamran Tessori with PML-N's Nehal Hashmi

The Pakistani government has invited the opposition to hold talks aimed at strengthening and advancing the 2006 Charter of Democracy, a document signed by PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and late Benazir Bhutto.

IT has been a worrying week for the PTI as the news about Imran Khan’s health became public and dominated news headlines and private conversations. From the sketchy information that came out initially, it appeared that he had some problem with his eye and has lost up to 85 per cent of his vision in that eye. This was reported by lawyer Salman Safdar, after his court-appointed visit to Khan at Adiala jail, though there had been news reports about the matter earlier. According to Safdar, the percentage was communicated to Khan by the doctors who examined him. The government’s earlier reaction appeared a bit inexplicable. It took the government days to confirm the problem, after it had been reported in the media. And then it did nothing while the Supreme Court woke up to take notice, sending Safdar to the jail. Over the weekend, there were reports that a team of doctors had been sent to the jail to examine him, while his family and personal doctors continued to wait for access. As the family and party refused to accept the government’s decision of giving access to only certain individuals (rather than the family being allowed to choose the person) the examination was carried out at the jail by doctors without any relative present. The party is trying to build up pressure through protests and sit-ins, which seems to cause no sleepless nights to the government. This is so despite reports that KP is cut off from the rest of the country. The PTI is getting criticised for this though it is hard to understand why the federal government is ignoring it. To return to Adiala, this is a good time for a reminder that health issues, especially of imprisoned political prisoners, should not be downplayed or treated lightly. For this reason, the government should provide all help possible to Khan; this includes allowing his family and personal doctors access to him, so they can take decisions on his health, instead of the government making the call on which experts should conduct the examination and which family members can be present. This reeks of callousness. The reports of Khan’s ill health have added fuel to the talk of a probable deal. However, there is a political angle to this entire crisis. The reports of Khan’s ill health have added fuel to the talk of a probable deal or ‘dheel’, as it seems to share some parallels with the platelets issue which allowed Nawaz Sharif to be freed and flown to London. In fact, the question being asked again and again in Islamabad is if this is Platelets 2, implying that some backroom deal is being worked out. It is important to point out that the rumours did not just emerge as a result of health worries but also because of the events of the past couple of weeks where the cooperation between the federal and provincial governments improved. Once this happened, the allegations of drugs and other criminal activities directed at Chief Minister Sohail Afridi gave way to praise for his cooperation with Islamabad. So once the reports of the illness emerged, it simply lent credence to rumours that something was cooking. At the moment, it is hard for those of us who live away from Constitution Avenue to comment on these rumours with any authority. And beca­u­­se I would like to feel better about my ignorance, perhaps some of those living on Constitution Avenue may also be as ill-informed as the rest of us mortals. Despite this, there is much support for the idea of a deal. For many within the PTI think it would provide respite to Khan and others and allow them to bide their time for a return to power (as in the case of other politicians in the past). On the government side, it is seen as a way to bring some stability to the situation, allowing the focus to remain on the economy. But all of this ignores a larger issue, beyond the comfort of those in power and in the opposition. In other words, beyond the level of high politics, where the players tend to be the establishment, the parties and individuals, what will this deal bring to dissatisfied people who have been feeding into the popularity and stature of Khan? Indeed, it is this anger which has resurrected Khan and the PTI each time a fatal blow has been struck in the direction of the party in what is ‘high politics’. Be it the forcible exits from the PTI of the more well-known faces or the decision to deprive the party of its symbol — popular support for it has ensured that none of these steps proved sufficient. So it is perhaps worth asking what the impact of such a ‘deal’ would be. Suppose the deal does disillusion the supporters of Khan and undermines his popularity in a way similar to Nawaz Sharif and the PML-N. (The economy and its poor performance landed the second blow on N’s popularity.) And then what options will be left for the people to still stay engaged in electoral politics. Will they opt for other, smaller political parties? Or will they look around for more radical options? The point here is that the establishment needs to realise that it not going to be enough to win over politicians to its side; this is not what will make the system more stable. For the system to be more stable, it is not enough to quieten politicians such as Sharif or Khan and then revel in the decline of their popularity. For real stability, the anger of the people will have to be understood and then addressed through a more equitable economic system and by giving them a voice. Instead of focusing on high politics, it might help if for once attention were paid to the level at which people operate and exist. After all, electoral politics in Balochistan was tamed some time ago, but stability continues to be elusive. The writer is a journalist. Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2026