Peshawar: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has summoned the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Swabi over allegations of sharing a video from Women University Swabi on TikTok. The court also directed the Vice Chancellor of the university to appear at the next hearing.
The case was heard by a two-member PHC bench comprising Justice Sahibzada Asad Ullah and Justice Khurshid Iqbal. During the proceedings, Muhammad Hamdan, counsel for the petitioner, informed the court that the DC had uploaded a video of the Women University Swabi on his personal TikTok account without any authorization, violating the privacy of female students.
He argued that this act not only breached the students’ privacy but also drew objections from the local community. He further pointed out that according to a 2018 government notification, government officials are only permitted to use X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook for official purposes. The video, he noted, was uploaded on TikTok by the DC in 2025, which clearly contravenes these guidelines.
Justice Sahibzada Asad Ullah questioned the Additional Advocate General (AAG) present in court about the government’s stance on the matter. The AAG responded that a reply had already been submitted on behalf of the government.
The court then asked why the Vice Chancellor of Women University Swabi had not appeared and sought clarification on the university’s position regarding the issue.
Concluding the session, the court set the next hearing for July 23 and ordered both the DC Swabi and the Vice Chancellor of Women University Swabi to appear in person to explain their roles in the matter.
