Social media usage has been prohibited for police officers and lower-ranking officials in Peshawar.
Kashif Aftab Abbasi, SSP (Operations) Peshawar, communicated this directive in a letter addressed to all police personnel. The letter highlighted that officers and personnel were actively engaged on various social media platforms and participating in unofficial WhatsApp groups.
The communication emphasized that there were efforts to negatively impact the morale of the police force by disseminating false and sensational information through social media channels. Consequently, the letter urged police officers and personnel to distance themselves from social media platforms and private WhatsApp groups.
SSP Operations has mandated that police officers and personnel refrain from sharing content on social media platforms. As per the directive outlined in the letter, only the police spokesperson will have the authorization to interact with the media.
The letter said:
The activities of police officers and personnel on social media platforms will also be monitored, and strict action will be taken against those violating the orders.
It is unclear if this rule will ever be enforced in regions outside of Peshawar or if it will ever be lifted from the police force of the city. There is a high chance that the current ban will be forgotten after a while as well, but we will have to wait and see.
