Pakistan to launch home-grown messaging app amid internet disruptions
Al Jazeera
Beep Pakistan will, at first, be limited to government communications. But officials say it could eventually be opened up for broader public use too.
Islamabad, Pakistan – The Pakistani government is set to roll out “Beep Pakistan”, a communication application designed for federal officials and employees. Its one request? Please don’t compare it to popular messaging platform WhatsApp.
Shaza Fatima Khwaja, the state minister for information technology and telecommunication, said that the application was currently undergoing trial runs within her ministry and would be launched “soon” among other government departments.
“We have developed an application focused on secure and unified communication among government officials. The purpose of Beep Pakistan is to protect our privacy and data,” she told Al Jazeera.
When in August 2023, the then-Minister of IT Syed Aminul Haque first revealed plans for the new app, he described it as Pakistan’s alternative to WhatsApp. Now though, the government is distancing itself from that comparison.
“Any comparison to WhatsApp is misplaced, as there is no intention to compete with any third-party platform,” Khwaja said.
