The Islamic Republic of Pakistan, on August 10, 2023, launched its own alternative to the popular and world-famous instant messaging app known as “Beep Pakistan” It is viewed as the rival of the famous WhatsApp Messenger App.
The Beep Pakistan app has been developed by the IT Ministry of Pakistan in collaboration with the country’s National Information Technology Board. The IT minister of Pakistan, Aminul Haque unveiled the app earlier this week. “we can now proudly say that Pakistan now has an alternative to WhatsApp, the minister said at the launch event.
How the app works
According to Haque, the app aims to mitigate potential cyber-attacks, ensuring that sensitive government communication is better protected. Haque also claims that the Beep Pakistan app stores all user’s data on servers located in Pakistan and under the supervision of the National IT Board. This, he said, eliminates the risk of audio and video leaks. “the biggest advantage of this app is that it is 100 per cent secure and safe as its server and source code will be in Pakistan.
Key Features
The Beep Pakistan chat app features include support for audio and video calls with end-to-end encryption document sharing with captions and instant messaging. The app has been developed, keeping the robust security protocols along a broad range of options such as high-quality audio and video calling, secure messaging, document sharing and conference capabilities.
Phases of the app
In the first phase, the app will be used for internal communication between Pakistan’s Ministry of IT and Communication and the NITB (National Information Technology Board). In the second phase, the app will be gradually expanded to other ministries and departments. In the third phase, the app will be available to the masses across Pakistan.
The Pakistan IT Ministry is aiming to roll out the app for the general public by the end of this year. The minister expressed confidence that the app would gradually become the preferred alternative to WhatsApp across the country. It will likely be made available for nationwide use on the Google Play Store later this year.
The CEO of the National Information Technology Board, Babar Majid Bhatti, said that the app will optimise communication and efficiency in the government’s departments.
It is a transformative platform that will revolutionise the way our government operates through seamless collaboration between Ministries and offering data-driven decision-making for policymakers and enhanced services to the citizens on a secured platform.
