Govt employees told not to use social media platforms

ISLAMABAD: The government has restrained all its employees from using social media platforms, reported ARY News.

A notification issued by the Establishment Division on Aug 25 stated that under the Government Servants (Conduct) Rules, 1964, no government servant can participate in any social media platform except with the permission of the government.

“Rule 18 of the Rules ibid bars a government servant from sharing official information or document with a government servant unauthorized to receive it or a private person or press,” read the notification.

“Further, Rule 22 of the Rules ibid refrains a government servant from making any statement of fact or opinion which is capable of embarrassing the Government in any document published or in any communication made to the press or in any public utterance or television programme or radio broadcast delivered by him or her.”

The notification said that Rules 21, 25, 25-A and 25-B of the Rules barred a government servant from expressing views against ideology and integrity of Pakistan or any government policy or decision.

“Despite the aforementioned instructions and the guiding legal frame-work, it has been observed that government servants often engage themselves with social media i.e. websites and applications that enable users to create and share contents or participate in social networking / virtual communities / online groups,” it pointed out.

“They, while using different social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram, Microblogging etc. to air their views on a host of subjects, sometimes indulge in actions or behaviour that does not conform to the required standards of official conduct, as envisaged in the Rules.”

The government said such actions range from unauthorised relaying of official information to disseminating wrong or misleading information to airing of political or sectarian views etc.

However, the notification cleared that the restriction is not “intended to discourage any constructive and positive use of social media by a government organization for engaging with the public to solicit feedback on a government policy, suggestions for improvement in service delivery and resolution of their complaints. However, such an organization shall edit their social media platforms continuously or frequently to remove offensive, inappropriate and objectionable remarks”.

The notification warned all government employees that violation of one or more of these instructions would be tantamount to misconduct and lead to disciplinary action against the delinquent government servant under Civil Servants (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules, 2020.