The news is that a social media post is a serious thing.
A catchy post can bring you lots of likes, wah, wah and a stream of followers. The other side of the post can unleash a pack of trolls on you, and what the end of trolling will be, cannot be imagined.
How to use social media is a question every member of the public is faced with.
How to deal with social media users is a problem for all political parties, no matter if they belong to the government or the opposition. Both sides’ real task seems to be the crushing of dissident voices.
It seems that political parties have run out of tolerance. They have dedicated social media cells, which run around the clock. Besides promoting their leaders non-stop, their basic aim is silencing any and all kinds of critique.
The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government recently set an example of vengeance on a social media user.
An investigation has been launched against a grade-21 bureaucrat who suggested an analogy between the PTI government in Pakistan and the Taliban government in Kabul. The bureaucrat stated that both governments came into power without any earlier experience and they are learning how to run the government only after coming into power. He also hinted at the ISI’s involvement in the running of both governments.
At one level, the post is brilliant and the commentator must be applauded for his satire, and logical thinking.
Who can deny that both the PTI and Taliban had raw experience before coming into power? The stark difference between the two parties is that the PTI won the government through a popular public support wave. On the other hand, the Taliban captured power with guns and after bloodshed.
The element of the spy agency’s role in bringing the two parties into power should be left to history. So far, my personal opinion concerned, I believe that an agency cannot win you a popular public wave.
But the problem in this case is the law of the land.
In August this year, the government passed the law barring government officials from participating in any activity on social media without prior permission. They are allowed to use social media constructively or positively, but with such a government it is extremely difficult to walk the thin line, with positive and negative on either side.
The government must understand that government officials are part of the state machinery and hold a right to their opinion like any other citizen. No matter who comes to power, government officials remain there and it is unfair to them if their freedom of expression is taken from them just because the government lacks the spine to take criticism of any sort.
It is very true that the PTI government started the process of governance much after taking the reins. It was said by the prime minister himself that the first two years of his government were a learning process, so the offense that they have taken is baseless. Moreover, the comparison made between Taliban and PTI should not alarm the government as they have been and are, staunch supporters of the Taliban. The last part of the statement, however, may have caused the ruckus as that was aimed at a whole different entity.
So, the wise move for the government in the ongoing case should be to issue a warning letter to the official concerned and move on.
