Sindh IGP orders action against police TikTokers

karachi: Complying with the federal government’s directives, Sindh police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon has ordered strict action against the police officials who ignore police rules and social norms to create TikTok videos.

IGP Memon on Wednesday issued orders to the Karachi Addl IGP, the Range DIGs and the SSPs in the province, saying that departmental and legal action should be taken immediately against the police TikTokers who create and upload videos containing absurd and meaningless voice-overs, playback songs and misconduct.

He said that there is no room in the police force for those who bring disrepute to the police force by creating such videos, adding that the police department is a uniformed disciplined force, “and respect for the police uniform is a must for all of us”.

He also said police officials are obliged not to upload videos on TikTok, ordering that strict disciplinary action must be ensured against the officials who upload videos in defiance of police rules. The IGP said that officials in police uniform would not be allowed to create videos for any platform.

Government circular

The Establishment Division, Cabinet Secretariat, Government of Pakistan, had earlier issued an office memorandum about the use of social media platform by government servants, which reads: “Kindly refer to this division’s circular whereby detailed instructions under Government Servants (Conduct) Rules, 1964, governing participation of government servants in different media forums including social media platforms were issued for compliance.

“Under the rules, no government servant can participate in any media platform except with the express permission of the government. Rule 18 bars a government servant from sharing official information or document with a government servant unauthorised to receive it or a private person or press.

“Rule 22 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.

“Rules 21, 25, 25-A and 25-B bar a government servant from expressing views against the ideology and integrity of Pakistan or any government policy or decision. Besides, they also bar a government servant from offering views on any media platform which may either harm the national security or friendly relations with foreign states; or offend public order, decency or morality; or amount to contempt of court or defamation or incitement to an offence; or propagate sectarian creeds.

“Despite the aforementioned instructions and the guiding legal framework, 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.

“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 well as to abstain from following trends, affiliating with political parties participating in press conferences / media talk or engaging in business promotions without prior permission as envisaged in the rules.

“Such actions range from unauthorised relaying of the official information to disseminating the wrong or misleading information to airing of political or sectarian views or propagate comments based upon cast and creed, etc.

“In view of the foregoing, it is expedient to issue the following instructions for governing the use of social media platforms by government servants: the same instructions as are applicable to government servants while speaking at public fora or publishing articles in print media, shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to the use of social media by them.

“As provided in Rule 18, they shall not indulge in unauthorised disclosure of the official information or sharing of the official documents they come across during the course of performing their duties, via social media.

“In order to maintain their impartiality and objectivity in performance, they shall not partake in any discussion on social media or exchange or forward information or messages that express their opinion on political issues. They shall not participate in furthering of any information especially pertaining to government matters that, prima facie, appears to be unauthentic and misleading.

“They shall not make any disparaging remarks aimed at any individual or group or sect or faith, and shall uphold the values guiding the civil service at all times. They are advised to observe discretion and moderation in use of the social media, and uphold high standards of propriety.”