The caretaker government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa this week ordered the shuttering of a project under which over 1,000 social media influencers had been hired by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government of the province to promote its initiatives.
In a letter dated April 4, and addressed to the Finance Department, the Information and Public Relations Department noted that 1,109 social media influencers had been appointed under the “Establishment of Social Media Participatory Platforms for Public Awareness and Feedback Regarding Reforms Initiatives and Encouraging Civic Responsibility” program.
It said that following the dissolution of the KP Assembly and the establishment of an interim government in the province, the scheme had lost its relevance. “The Election Commission has also banned new projects and recruitment etc. therefore, the interim government is not mandated by law, rules and regulations to carry out the above cited project objectives and thus the continuation of this project is the wastage of resources of the public exchequer,” it added.
“As all activities of the project are closed, it is requested that all expenditure, including salaries of the project management unit and stipends for internees, be stopped with an immediate effect in the best public interest,” it said.
In a separate letter addressed to the Planning and Development Department, the information department said the project was being wrapped up due to the “current economic crisis followed by the unavailability of funds.” It urged the department to “stop further release on account of the project with an immediate effect.”
Addressing media last month, caretaker Information Minister Feroz Jamal Shah Kakakhel had alleged that the PTI-led government had employed around 5,000 social media workers and placed them in various departments against a monthly salary of Rs. 25,000. This, he claimed, was aimed at promoting the ruling party’s interests and did not serve the province.
He clarified that the information department had 1,200 of these recruits who never attended any office and were solely involved in highlighting the PTI government’s policies. “Our government will ask the Federal Investigation Agency to probe recruitment by the last government,” he added.