Instructions under Government Servants (Conduct) Rules 1964 regarding participation in Electronic , Print and Social Media Platforms

Instructions under Government Servants (Conduct) Rules 1964 regarding participation in Electronic , Print and Social Media Platforms




No. I/20/1976/D-3
Government of Pakistan
Cabinet Secretariat
Establishment Division
Islamabad, the 27 July, 2020
SUBJECT:- 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 instance, procedural requirements under the Government Servants (Conduct) Rules. 1964 are either not complied with in letter and spirit, or in many cases, totally ignored.
2. 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 coon, 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.
3. Attention is also invited to Rule 22 of the Rules !bid 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 program 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.
4. 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 mules 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.
5. All Federal Secretaries/ Additional Secretaries (Incharge) / Service & Cadre
Administrators / Chief Secretaries are requested to ensure implementation of the above rules.
(Salman Mufti)
Joint Secretary (D)
Phone: 051-9209215