ISLAMBAD: The interior ministry has barred its staffers from talking to the media, sources told Dawn on Friday.

“The minister for interior has directed that no officer/official should interact with media (print/electronic) nor upload any official’s view/comment on social media or any other channel of information, except with the formal and written approval of the secretary interior or head of the attached department/organisation, as the case may be,” said a notification.

Copies of the notification have been sent to the heads of 22 subordinate departments of the ministry across the country. Among them are the director general of the Federal Investigation Agency, the national coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Authority, the director generals of the Pakistan Rangers in Punjab and Sindh, the director generals of the Frontier Corps in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, the commandant of FC in Peshawar, and the director general of Gilgit-Baltistan Scouts.

Some others on the list are the chief commissioner of Islamabad, the IGP and the Capital Development Authority chairman.

But the notification’s biggest surprise is that it has told the mayor of Islamabad — an elected representative of the people — not to have any interaction with the media.

Shahzad Akbar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Account­ability and Interior, expressed his ignorance about the decision taken by the interior ministry, while speaking to journalists on Friday.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2019