Pakistan is poised to unveil a new messaging application, “Beep Pakistan,” which will initially serve government employees before being rolled out to the general public. This initiative comes in response to ongoing challenges faced by Pakistani users of WhatsApp, particularly concerning the transmission of media files. Digital rights advocates have raised concerns that the recent disruptions may be linked to the country’s implementation of an internet firewall aimed at curbing dissent and limiting free speech.
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“Beep Pakistan” is currently undergoing trial runs within the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, with officials indicating that a launch is imminent for various government departments. Shaza Fatima Khwaja, the state minister for IT and telecommunication, emphasized that the application is designed to be robust enough for broader public use in the future.
When the project was initially announced last year, it was framed as Pakistan’s answer to WhatsApp. However, the government is now keen to clarify that such comparisons may be misleading. Khwaja stated, “Any comparison to WhatsApp is misplaced as there is no intention to compete with any third-party platform,” highlighting the app’s primary goal of safeguarding user privacy and data.
Syed Aminul Haque, the former IT minister and current head of the National Assembly’s standing committee on IT, revealed that the government aims to roll out the application to all its employees within the next 45 days, after which it will assess the situation for a public launch. He noted that unlike WhatsApp, “Beep’s data centre will be in Pakistan, ensuring 100% safety and security.” He drew parallels with other countries, stating, “Just as China has WeChat and America has WhatsApp, Pakistan now has its own app.”
Concerns regarding WhatsApp’s security have been prevalent among Pakistani authorities, particularly following reports in December 2019 that a number of senior officials were targeted by Pegasus spyware. This prompted the government to advise officials against sharing sensitive documents via the platform.
When questioned about the potential for a ban on WhatsApp following the public launch of Beep Pakistan, Khwaja denied any such plans. Haque echoed this sentiment, expressing his preference against a ban. “But since Beep Pakistan is safe and secure, we wish it to be used in Pakistan, and those who want to use WhatsApp can continue to use it,” he affirmed.
