&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Pakistan Army discards WhatsApp over spying and data breach fears, switches to China’s WeChat")
The Pakistan Army has directed its officers and personnel to stop using US-based Meta-owned WhatsApp for all official and operational communications, citing fears of electronic surveillance, interception, and data breaches, and told them to switch to Chinese messaging platform WeChat.
Pakistan’s military leadership issued the directive following internal assessments that Meta’s messaging platform exposes sensitive defence conversations to elevated risks of electronic surveillance, interception, and data breaches.
The decision reflects growing concerns in Pakistan’s military over the security of communications carried over Western technology platforms. It is notable that Meta is based in the US, with which Islamabad had been displaying a lot of bonhomie in President Donald Trump’s second term.
The move also brings Pakistan’s military digital infrastructure closer to that of China. It comes amid deepening strategic and defence ties between Pakistan and China, with growing cooperation not only in military hardware but also in digital infrastructure, cyber capabilities, communications and intelligence sharing.
Interestingly, WeChat was banned and blocked by the India government in June 2020, citing concerns over national security, data privacy and sovereignty.
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Pakistan’s move exhibits its growing dependence on China and the WeChat shift aligns with the deepening defence relationship between Beijing and Islamabad.
Pakistan’s decision of adopting WeChat is aimed at having a shared communication medium with China for streamlining operational coordination during bilateral exercises, border dialogues, and tactical military exchanges.
Why did India ban WeChat?
New Delhi banned WeChat along with along with 59 other Chinese apps in June 2020, citing national security concerns and alleging that user data was being transmitted outside the country.
While India excluded WeChat over espionage risks, Islamabad is making the same Chinese app its primary medium for internal military communications.
The cooperation between the Pakistan Armed Forces and China’s People’s Liberation Army has grown exponentially in recent years.
Pakistan’s relationship with China earlier centred on defence acquisitions, including fighter jets, naval frigates and air defence systems.
The decision of moving its military communications from WhatsApp to WeChat shows Pakistan’s increasing reliance on Beijing and expanding defence cooperation more closely with its strategic partner.
