PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Wednesday held a hearing regarding a petition filed against the Swabi Deputy Commissioner (DC) for sharing videos of an event at Women University Swabi on social media, particularly on TikTok. The case was heard by Justice Syed Arshad Ali and Justice Dr. Khurshid Iqbal, who expressed serious concerns over the DC’s conduct. The court summoned the Director of the Provincial Management Reforms Unit (PMRU) for further clarification.
Petitioner’s counsel, Advocate Muhammad Hamdan, informed the court that the DC had attended multiple public programs where he made videos and posted them on his personal TikTok account instead of using official government platforms.“This is a Deputy Commissioner,” remarked Justice Syed Arshad Ali, questioning the appropriateness of such actions. Advocate Hamdan argued that while the official social media presence of the Swabi district administration includes Twitter and Facebook, TikTok is not listed as an official platform. He further claimed that the DC made and shared videos during a ceremony at Women University Swabi from his account, where female students were visibly featured without their consent.
The court inquired, “Where was the TikTok video made?” to which Advocate Hamdan replied that the video was recorded during the university’s event and later shared from the DC’s private account.He stressed that government officials, including deputy commissioners, are only authorized to use official websites or social media handles for public communications—not personal pages—especially when students and educational institutions are involved. Justice Arshad Ali expressed concern over this trend, stating, “What are they doing? They’ve created personal pages for self-promotion.” He added, “This is not official communication; it’s personal branding on social media.”
When asked whether any representative from the relevant department was present, the Additional Advocate General (AAG) admitted that no one from the department had appeared in court. The court’s remarks suggest growing concern over the misuse of social media by government officers for self-promotion, particularly when it involves sensitive settings such as women’s universities. Further proceedings are expected after the appearance of the PMRU director.
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