ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will roll out a locally developed secure messaging application, Beep, for government employees in the coming months, officials told a National Assembly standing committee on Tuesday.
The National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecom was informed that the application, designed for official communications, is in the final stages of preparation and will be launched in phases, beginning with federal ministries and attached departments.
The app was initially launched on a trial basis in August 2023 by the former Information Technology Minister Syed Aminul Haque, who now serves as chairman of the National Assembly IT and Telecom Committee. During the meeting, Haque allocated time to the National Information Technology Board to discuss and ensure the timely rollout of the application.
National Information Technology Board Chief Executive Faisal Iqbal Ratyal told the committee that Beep had been developed locally and certified by relevant government agencies for official use. He said the application was inspired by the Chinese platform WeChat and was designed to meet the government’s security and operational requirements.
Ratyal said the rollout would begin within the next two months and that Beep would be integrated with Pakistan’s federal e-Office system. The integration is intended to allow secure messaging, document sharing and workflow coordination within government institutions.
According to Ratyal, the application will offer end-to-end encryption for text messages and video calls used by government officials. He said additional security features had been incorporated to strengthen encryption standards and make the platform suitable for sensitive discussions.
The committee was also informed that the National Computer Emergency Response Team had formally cleared the application for official deployment.
Officials noted that WhatsApp, owned by Meta, remains the most widely used platform for communication and media sharing, but its data servers are located outside Pakistan. They said Beep’s servers would be based within the country and would operate under stricter security safeguards.
The committee was further briefed that the federal e-Office system was introduced to reduce paperwork and improve transparency, and that integrating Beep was expected to strengthen internal coordination and reduce operational risks.
