PM needs to remain cautious in social media use
ISLAMABAD – Known for his party’s expertise in optimal utilisation of social media and moulding public opinion through the emergent mode of communication, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and Prime Minister Imran Khan is still quick on his tweeter handle but he needs to be a bit cautious in his handling of things on the unconventional media in the changed situation.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has smartly utilised social media to disseminate their political philosophy and party’s roadmap of transforming governance into public service to vast segments of society, especially upper middle and elite classes.
It was the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s powerful media campaigning mainly on social media that they managed to rope in upper middle and elite classes in electoral process to which these people remained aloof for decades. But campaigning for some part or launching campaign or sensitising people on some sensitive issue on social media is entirely different from statecraft as usually its use by heads of states and governments failed to make any breakthrough and had caused problems than giving any benefit.
The messaging on Twitter by Prime Minister Imran Khan is no exception as almost all top world leaders run their accounts on social media and sometimes their messages shock the world. The world leaders having huge following on Twitter include US President Donald Trump, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and many more but except Donald Trump, these leaders are quite careful in their messaging keeping in view its fatality.
Political analysts and social media experts said that use of social media to apprise the people on the working of the government as well as their political and development agendas is good but its use for comments on sensitive matters is not recommended.
Referring to the recent tweet of Prime Minister Imran Khan asking India for opening dialogue on all outstanding issues on his twitter account seemed a bit awkward as any move on reopening Indo-Pak dialogue should have been conveyed through official channel keeping in view its sensitivity.
As talking about a very sensitive issue on social media , generally taken as a causal forum of sharing views, should have been avoided as the enemies of Pakistan and enemies of peace in the region would sabotage it before it takes some serious dimension.
Use of social media to remain in touch with people of Pakistan and to tell them about his governance measures and uplift agendas is good but he being the chief executive of the country should avoid taking up sensitive issues on social media for the greater good of the country, they said.
On the lighter side, one must not forget the most irresponsible and impulsive tweet came from US President Donald Trump in January this year when in response to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un he tweeted, “North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the nuclear button is on his desk all the time. Will someone from his depleted and food-starved regime please inform him that I too have a nuclear button, but it is a much bigger and more powerful one than his, and my button works”.
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