Warning falls on deaf ears: Govt employees continue to work as journalists

MARDAN: The Regional Information Office has been unable to take action against those government employees who are working as journalists, sources said on Monday.

They said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa information director had issued a letter that warned that strict action would be taken against the government employees found working as journalists in the district.

The sources recalled that the information director had issued the letter in March 2016 to different press clubs and regional information officers of the province. The letter stated that government servants were not allowed to work as journalists or become members of the press clubs. It warned that government employees found working as reporters or correspondents with any newspaper would face action.

The letter noted it had been observed that some government servants were working as journalists and were affiliated with various press clubs.The regional information offices were asked to furnish a list of government employees who were working as journalists with various newspapers.

It said the list should carry the names, departments and designation of the government employees so that strict action could be taken against them.The sources said that several employees of Education Department, Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Mardan and other departments were working at different newspaper as reporters.However, no action could be taken against such government employees even after several months, the sources added.