Federal Minister for Information Technology (IT) Syed Amin Ul Haque on Monday launched ‘Beep Pakistan’, the country’s alternative to popular messaging app WhatsApp.

“This day marks an important milestone for Pakistan’s IT industry, as we are launching Beep Pakistan, the country’s first communication app, on a 30-day trial run,” said Haque during the launching ceremony.

“In the first phase, the app will be used for internal communication between the Ministry of IT and Communication and NITB (National Information Technology Board).

“In the second phase, the app will be opened to all government departments. In the third phase, the app will be made available to the masses across Pakistan.”

The minister said that alternative apps to WhatsApp have been launched in neighbouring countries including India and Bangladesh.

“We have been a bit late in this regard, however, it is better to be late than never,” he said.

Sharing its features, the minister said that the app can be used for data sharing, audio calling, video calling and conference calling.

“The biggest advantage of this app is that it is 100% safe and secure, as its server and source code will be in Pakistan,” he said.

Lauding the role of NITB, Haque said that “we can now proudly say Pakistan possesses a WhatsApp alternative”.

In the last 3.5 years, the ministry has launched 83 new projects, which has cost Rs77 billion across Pakistan. “We have targeted second- and third-tier cities to improve connectivity in these areas,” he said.

Haque said that the Ministry of IT digital skills have been taught to over 3.3 million children.

During our tenure, three additional National Incubation Centers (NIC) were also established, he added.