Islamabad, Sep 3: Government agencies have been instructed by the federal government to interact with the public on social media sites in order to get comment on proposed policies. A memo concerning government employees’ usage of social media was released by the establishment division on Monday.
“Please take note of this Division’s Circular No. 1/20/1976-D:3 dated July 23, 2020, and O.M. F.No. 14/04/2021-D-II dated August 25, 2021, which provide comprehensive guidelines for government employees’ participation in various media platforms, including social media, in accordance with the Government Servants (Conduct) Rules, 1964.”
No government employee is permitted to participate in any media platform without the government’s express consent, according to the Rules ibid.
A government employee is prohibited by Rule 18 of the Rules ibid from disclosing official information or records to the press, to private individuals, or to another government employee who is not authorized to receive them.
Furthermore, a government employee is prohibited by Rule 22 of the Rules ibid from expressing any viewpoint or fact that could be used to discredit the government in any written material, press release, public speech, television show, or radio broadcast.
Furthermore, a government employee is prohibited from voicing opinions that contradict Pakistan’s philosophy, integrity, or any decision made by the government by Rules 21, 25, 25-A, and 25-B of the Rules ibid.
Additionally, they prohibit a government employee from expressing opinions on any media outlet that could jeopardize friendly relations with foreign states, undermine public order, decency, or morality, constitute contempt of court, defame or incite others to commit crimes, or spread extremist beliefs.
It has been noted that government employees frequently use social media, which refers to websites and applications that let users create and share content or take part in social networking, virtual communities, and online groups, despite the aforementioned guidelines and the governing legal framework.
While they use various social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram, and microblogging, to express their opinions on a variety of topics, they occasionally engage in behavior or actions that deviates from the expected standards of official conduct. They also refrain from following trends, joining political parties, attending press conferences or media appearances, or promoting their businesses without first obtaining permission, as specified in the Rules ibid.
Such acts can include the unapproved dissemination of official material, the airing of political or sectarian viewpoints, the propagation of remarks based on caste and creed, etc. Given the aforementioned, it is appropriate to provide the following guidelines on government employees’ use of social networking platforms.
When using social media, government employees are subject to the same guidelines that apply to them when they speak at public forums or publish pieces in print media.
According to Rule 18 of the Rules ibid, they are prohibited from using social media to engage in the illegal disclosure of official information or the dissemination of official documents they come across while carrying out their duties.
They must refrain from participating in any social media discussions and from exchanging or forwarding any materials or communications that express their opinions on political matters in order to preserve their neutrality and impartiality in their performance.
They are not allowed to take part in the dissemination of any material, particularly when it comes to affairs of government, that seem, on the surface, to be false or misleading.
They maintain the principles that govern the Civil Service at all times and shall refrain from insulting any person, organization, sect, or religion. They are urged to maintain the highest standards of propriety and to use judgment and moderation when using social media.
However, it is made clear that the guidelines in paragraph 4 are not meant to prevent any government agency from using social media in a constructive and positive way to interact with the public and ask for opinions on policies, suggestions for bettering service delivery, and complaints to be resolved.
Nonetheless, such an institution must regularly or constantly monitor its social media accounts to take down offensive, inappropriate, and disagreeable comments.
The aforementioned guidelines must be followed in letter and spirit by all government employees; therefore, they may be distributed to those working in any of the vocations under the purview of the federal government. If any of these guidelines are broken, it will be considered misconduct and the delinquent government employee would face disciplinary action under the Civil Servants (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules, 2020. Furthermore, if a breach occurs on a group platform, the Administrators, or “Admin,” who may be employed by the government, may also face disciplinary action.
All Federal Secretaries/Additional Secretaries (Incharge)/Service or Cadre Administrators/Chief Secretaries/Incharge Civil Services Academies are requested to ensure implementation of the above instructions.
