Government of Pakistan, Cabinet Secretariat, Establishment Division issued instructions under Government Servants (Conduct) Rules, 1964 regarding procedure for participating in electronic, print and social media platforms.
Various instances have come to the notice of this Division that Government Servants participate in electronic, print and social media platforms to air their views on a variety of subjects. However, it has been observed that in many such instances, procedural requirements under the Government Servants (Conduct) Rules, 1964 are either not complied with in letter and spirit, or in many cases, totally ignored.
Under the Government Servants (Conduct) Rules, 1964, no government servant can participate in any media platforms, except with the express permission of the Government. Rules 20, 21, 22, 25, 25-A, 25-B of the Government Servants (Conduct) Rules. 1964 bar government servants from expressing views against policy or ideology of Pakistan, which may harm the security of Pakistan or friendly relations with foreign states, offend public order, decency or morality, or amount to contempt of court, defamation or incitement to an offence, besides propagation of sectarian creeds, and also places a bar on government servants from taking part in any public demonstration directed against a government decision or policy.
Attention is also invited to Rule 22 of the Rules Ibid which bars 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 in any radio broadcast delivered by him. Also, Rule 18 bars the government servant from communicating any official document or information to a Government servant unauthorized to receive it or to a non-official person or to the press.
The above provisions of the Government Servants (Conduct) Rules, 1964 need to be complied with in letter and spirit. These may, therefore, be circulated to all government servants belonging to all the occupational cadres falling under the Federal Government jurisdiction. Any violation of these instructions will tantamount to misconduct, and is liable to be proceeded against under the Government Servants (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules, 1973.
All Federal Secretaries/ Additional Secretaries (Incharge) / Service & Cadre Administrators / Chief Secretaries are requested to ensure implementation of the above rules.
