Karachi University bars staff from posting official documents online

The University of Karachi has barred all teaching and non-teaching employees from uploading or forwarding university documents and information on social media without prior approval from the competent authority, under a notification signed by Registrar Dr Imran Ahmed Siddiqui.

ProPakistani and TechJuice both reported the notification. It states that the administration had noticed official letters and office orders circulating in social media groups without permission, and singles out documents concerning transfers and postings, additional charges and the suspensions of employees and officers.

The directive covers the whole workforce, teaching and non-teaching alike. Staff may not upload or forward any official document or information on social media platforms, and may not share such material with any unauthorised person, unless the competent authority has approved it beforehand.

The notification warns that any violation will be taken seriously and may lead to disciplinary action under applicable laws, including Rule 18 of the Government Servants (Conduct) Rules 1964, a provision routinely invoked in departmental proceedings against public employees.

Information intended for public release, according to the notification, will be shared only through the University of Karachi's official social media pages or other authorised channels.

TechJuice reported separately that the notification came a few days after a meeting of vice chancellors of Sindh public universities, chaired by the Sindh chief secretary. According to TechJuice, one university head at that meeting proposed a review of the Right of Access to Information Act, and the chief secretary did not take up the proposal. Neither outlet reported a link between the two developments, and no connection has been stated by the university.

Neither report said when the notification takes effect, what specific penalty short of "disciplinary action" applies, or whether the university issued any statement beyond the text of the notice. Neither reported a response from employee associations or from the teaching staff.

The University of Karachi is a government-run institution in the provincial capital and one of Sindh's largest public universities, so a restriction on how its staff communicate internally and publicly applies to a large body of employees.

Both outlets reproduced the same core content of the notification, including the reference to Rule 18 and the restriction on sharing documents with unauthorised persons, and neither carried a comment from the registrar or the vice chancellor's office.