Islamabad — The Pakistan government has banned all public servants from using social media without prior approval in a policy aimed at blocking unauthorized disclosures of official information and documents. According to The News International, the new law is provided in an office memorandum issued by the Establishment Division.
New Directive Under Government Servants (Conduct) Rules
Its immediate effect requires government employees to take permission before joining any social media site. The memorandum has, in essence, been a part of the Government Servants (Conduct) Rules, 1964, which oversee the behavior of public servants. To keep sensitive information from being leaked, this order has been issued to dictate the course of reporting on government policies and decisions.Regulation of Public Comments and Interaction with Media
It succinctly underscores that no government servant shall draw an inference or give any opinion or facts, which may cause embarrassment to the government. It specifically restricts employees in commenting on government policy decisions or any issues relating to national sovereignty and dignity. The employees are also not allowed to participate in social media discussions or any media interaction likely to affect the foreign relations of Pakistan.Counter-Measures for Monitoring and Enforcement
Institutions are, therefore, to police the social media platforms for objectionable content in an attempt to enforce such new rules. The memo clarifies that since the guidelines seek to stem abuses, they do not militate against constructive uses of social media. Public servants who breach these directives will be subjected to misconduct proceedings.
Implementation and Oversight
This memorandum calls for the need of federal secretaries, additional secretaries, heads of departments, and chief secretaries to ensure that these new regulations are followed. Government employees are informed that strict action would be taken against those who violate these guidelines.