Search form

You are here

  • Home
  • Pakistan mulls WhatsApp alternative to thwart data breach


Pakistan mulls WhatsApp alternative to thwart data breach

1 / 2
In this file photo, Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan chairs meeting of the Federal Cabinet at Islamabad on Nov. 5, 2019. (PID)
2 / 2
Pakistan is planning to introduce intranet in government offices and develop a local alternative to WhatsApp to protect the official data from being hacked. (Shutterstock)
Updated 22 November 2019
AAMIR SAEED & BENAZIR SHAH
Follow

Pakistan mulls WhatsApp alternative to thwart data breach

  • All government functionaries, including president and prime minister, will use a local app from next June
  • Government in the process of banning senior government, military officials from using WhatsApp to share any classified information
Updated 22 November 2019
AAMIR SAEED & BENAZIR SHAH

ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: Pakistan is trying to develop a local instant messaging application to protect official data and sensitive information from hackers and hostile intelligence agencies, senior government officials said on Thursday, as the government of the South Asian nation considers banning senior government and military officials from using WhatsApp at official premises.
Last month, officials at Whatsapp told media senior government officials in multiple US-allied countries were targeted earlier this year with hacking software that used Facebook Inc’s WhatsApp to take over users’ phones. Victims belonged to the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Mexico, Pakistan, India and other nations.
“We have been working to improve our cyber security and develop a messaging application like WhatsApp for government officials,” Dr. Arslan Khalid, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s focal person on digital media, told Arab News. “This local application will help us protect sensitive government data and other classified information from hostile spying agencies and hackers.”
Pakistan is ranked among the top seven countries for inadequate cyber security, with 25 percent of its mobile phones and 14.8 percent of computers infected with malware, according to a study conducted by technology site Comparitech.
Authorities have proposed introducing intranet in government offices and developing a local alternative to WhatsApp after NSO – an Israeli spyware firm – was sued by WhatsApp/Facebook on October 29 for “violating both the US and California laws as well as the WhatsApp terms of service.”
A special type of malware named “Pegasus” was employed, reportedly between 28 April and 10 May 2019, which affected approximately 1400 senior government and military officials in twenty countries including Pakistan.
“The malware is capable of infecting any mobile phone [iOS and Android] only by generating a missed call on the targeted WhatsApp number,” a special advisory issued by the Ministry of Information Technology earlier this month said.
The advisory, a copy of which is available with Arab News, directed senior government officials holding “sensitive portfolios and dealing with national security matters” to consider that “no official/classified information be shared on WhatsApp or similar applications” for security reasons.

In order to minimize the possibility of any infections by Pegasus malware, the ministry also directed government functionaries to immediately replace all mobile phones purchased prior to 10 May 2019.
Against this backdrop, the government has started developing an intra-communication system, a WhatsApp-like service, to ensure “no data leaves GoP [Government of Pakistan] data centers.”
“It will be an official channel of communication which will provide an interlink to all federal ministries to share official documents,” Ali Khan Jadoon, a ruling party lawmaker and chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology, told Arab News.
Under the new system, any government official using the local area network would not be able to use WhatsApp, Facebook messenger and other social media platforms.
“This network will have the ministry of defense, interior and others on it since we don’t want any sensitive information to be leaked,” Jadoon added, saying each government official would have a unique ID to use the system and anyone trying to leak information would be identifiable with their ID.
He said the application, which costs round Rs1.3 billion ($8.37 million), would be launched by June 2020: “Everyone will be on this [application] including the president and the prime minister.”
The National Information Technology Board (NITB) is also implementing an e-government program in all federal ministries to protect official data and sensitive information from leaking to hackers or hostile intelligence agencies.
“We have so far completed our work in 28 ministries out of 42, and the remaining will also be converted to an e-government program by June next year,” Faisal Iqbal, director-general NITB, told Arab News.
Asked about rumors that the government may curb freedom of speech and freedom of expression by expanding the local instant messaging app to the public, just as it happened in China, Dr. Arslan Khalid said the government wanted to protect official data only.
“We are not planning to restrict the public use of social media or curtail freedom of expression. All these rumors are baseless,” he said. “Even government employees can use WhatsApp and any other social media platforms for personal interaction once they are outside of their public offices.”

Topics: Pakistan WhatsApp social media

Traders in southwestern Pakistan shutter businesses to mourn Mastung blast victims

Updated 01 October 2023
Follow

Traders in southwestern Pakistan shutter businesses to mourn Mastung blast victims

  • At least 60 people were killed on Friday when a blast targeted a gathering in Mastung 
  • Shops and bazaars in Mastung, Kalat, Khuzdar and Quetta districts wear deserted look
Updated 01 October 2023
SAADULLAH AKHTER

ISLAMABAD: Traders in multiple districts of southwestern Pakistan closed their shops and businesses on Sunday to mourn victims of Friday’s suicide blast that killed over 50 in Mastung city. 

At least 60 people were killed and 53 were injured on Friday when a suicide blast targeted a gathering in Mastung held to celebrate Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) birthday.

Two days after the blast, markets and shops in Balochistan’s Quetta, Kalat, Mastung, and Khuzdar districts wore a deserted look after traders announced a shutter-down strike to mourn victims of the blast. 

“We have been observing shutter-down strikes in Quetta, Mastung, Kalat, and Khuzdar to mourn the people killed in the Mastung blast,” Abdul Rahim Kakar, president of the Anjuman e Tajiran Balochistan, the most prominent association of traders in the province, told Arab News.

“The blast has shattered the entire province, directly impacting business activities in Balochistan,” Kakar continued. “We demand the government arrest the terrorists involved in the suicide attack on innocent people.”

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, while the Pakistani Taliban distanced themselves from the incident. 

Following the blast, Balochistan’s provincial government announced three days of mourning, saying that the national flag would fly at half-mast in all government offices.

Muhammad Yousaf Muhammad Shahi, general secretary of the Mastung Bazaar Association, told Arab News that bazaars and markets in Mastung are closed today, Sunday. He said the local population is gripped with fear after the blast. 

“In every street and village of Mastung, mourning prayers are continuing for the victims,” Shahi told Arab News over the phone. “People of Mastung have been witnessing attacks in recent years, which should be stopped now.” 

Situated near the provincial capital of Quetta, Mastung is mostly mentioned in the news due to incidents of sectarian violence, insurgency, and militant attacks. The security situation in the area has been volatile for years and it is widely considered as one of the more sensitive districts in Balochistan from a security perspective.

Proscribed entity Daesh, known for attacks in Pakistan and beyond on religious gatherings and minorities, has strong footprints in Balochistan, particularly Mastung. 

Pakistan’s interior minister on Saturday accused India’s intelligence agency of having a hand in the blast while Pakistan’s army chief General Syed Asim Munir vowed that the security operation against militants would continue “unabated.” 

Topics: mastung blast Militancy militancy in Pakistan

Saudi Arabia’s SME authority to help Pakistani IT companies scale businesses in Kingdom— minister

Updated 45 min 51 sec ago
Follow

Saudi Arabia’s SME authority to help Pakistani IT companies scale businesses in Kingdom— minister

  • Pakistan’s IT minister is in Saudi Arabia with a delegation of tech companies to explore business opportunities
  • Pakistan to work with Digital Cooperation Organization on ‘digital passport’ for Pakistani companies, says Saif
Updated 45 min 51 sec ago
Shahjahan Khurram

ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia’s Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority (Monsha’at) will work with Pakistan to support its IT companies and startups to scale their businesses in the Kingdom, Caretaker IT Minister Umar Saif announced on Sunday. 

Established in 2016, Monsha’at aims to regulate, support, develop, and sponsor the SME sector in Saudi Arabia. According to its website, the authority is mandated to develop and support programs and projects that foster a culture of self-employment, entrepreneurship, and innovation.

Pakistan’s IT minister is in Saudi Arabia with a delegation of tech companies to explore business opportunities in the Kingdom. Saif wrote on the social media platform X that he visited Monsha’at’s office in Riyadh and met the authority’s Governor Sami Ibrahim Alhussaini.

“Monsha’at is mandated to support small and medium companies in Saudia, and they will be working with us to support Pakistani IT companies and startups to scale their businesses in Saudia,” Saif wrote. 

 

 

The minister also visited the office of the Digital Cooperation Organization— a multi-nation body that works toward the growth of the digital industry— in Saudi Arabia and met its secretary-general, Deemah AlYahya. 

He said Pakistan would host the Digital Direct Foreign Investment summit every year for all DCO member states.

“We will be working with DCO for a ‘digital passport’ for Pakistani companies which will enable them to quickly start a business in DCO member countries, starting with Saudia,” Saif wrote.

 

 

During an exclusive interview with Arab News earlier this week, Saif said the Gulf countries were a highly attractive market for Pakistani IT firms, many of whom were already engaged in projects in the region.

“We are working to market Pakistan as a place from where a lot of technical expertise can come for projects in the GCC region,” he said.

The minister added that during his visit to the Kingdom, the Pakistani delegation will also receive updates on the $100 million Saudi-Pakistan Tech House project announced earlier this year, which aims to strengthen strategic partnerships between IT firms in both countries.

Topics: #PakistanSaudiTies Pakistan IT sector Saudi Arabia’s SME authority

Pakistan to kick off anti-polio campaign in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from Monday 

Updated 01 October 2023
Follow

Pakistan to kick off anti-polio campaign in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from Monday 

  • The five-day campaign aims to vaccinate 7,478 million children across the province
  • Children below 5 years of age will be vaccinated across five divisions during first phase 
Updated 01 October 2023
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s health authorities have finalized preparations to launch an anti-polio campaign in the country’s northwest that aims to vaccinate 7,478 million children in the area, a report in the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said on Sunday. 

According to APP, the five-day campaign will commence across KP from Monday, Oct. 2, and during its first phase, children below five years of age will be administered polio drops in Peshawar, Kohat, Mardan, Malakand, and Hazara divisions. 

 Polio is a highly infectious and incurable disease caused by the poliovirus, which mainly affects children under the age of five. The virus invades the nervous system and can cause paralysis or even death in some cases. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where polio remains endemic.

“In the first phase of the campaign, around 63,628,95 children will be vaccinated against polio in all districts of Peshawar, Kohat, Mardan, Malakand, and Hazara divisions,” an official of the National Emergency Operation Center was quoted as saying by the APP. 

During the second phase of the campaign, from Oct. 9-13, around 11,1681 children in Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan divisions will be vaccinated against the disease, the official added. 

“During this anti-polio campaign, vitamin A will also be given to children to increase their immunity,” the official said, adding that children up to the age of five living in Afghan refugee camps throughout the province would also be vaccinated. 

He said a total of 34,551 teams of trained polio workers would take part in the campaign, adding that around 54,567 police personnel have been deployed to ensure their security. 

Attempts to eradicate polio in Pakistan have been hit by attacks targeting inoculation teams that have claimed hundreds of lives in over a decade.

Opposition to all forms of inoculation grew after the US Central Intelligence Agency organized a fake vaccination drive to help track down Al-Qaeda’s former leader Osama Bin Laden in the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad. 

Topics: anti-polio campaign Anti-polio drive Polio in Pakistan

2 militants, police constable killed during gunbattle in eastern Pakistan— Punjab CTD

Updated 01 October 2023
Follow

2 militants, police constable killed during gunbattle in eastern Pakistan— Punjab CTD

  • Militants attack police patrolling post in Esakhel town in Mianwali district, says Punjab CTD
  • Clash between police, militants takes place days after two suicide blasts killed 65 in Pakistan
Updated 01 October 2023
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Two militants and a police constable were killed during a gunbattle between Punjab’s Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and militants on Sunday in the country’s eastern Mianwali district, police said. 

According to a statement by the Punjab CTD, militants attacked a police patrolling post in Esakhel town located in Mianwali, prompting a heavy exchange of fire between the two sides. 

“After four hours of intense fighting, CTD Punjab killed two terrorists while another was severely injured,” Punjab’s Inspector General Dr. Usman Anwar was quoted as saying in a statement by police. 

“A search and sweep operation in the area is underway.”

Anwar said the slain militants were involved in various militant activities across the country, adding that police were further investigating the case. 

“Police are further probing the case while the militants’ accomplices are being pursued,” Anwar was quoted as saying. 

He appreciated CTD Punjab for foiling the attack and killing the militants, heaping praise on the police constable who was killed in the exchange of fire. 

“We salute Constable Haroon Khan who achieved the lofty status of martyrdom during the line of duty,” Anwar was quoted as saying. 

The clash between Punjab CTD and militants takes place days after two bomb blasts in Pakistan’s southwestern and northwestern provinces killed at least 65 and injured scores. 

On Friday, a suicide blast targeted a crowded gathering held to mark the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in Mustang city, killing at least 60 people. Hours later, an explosion in Pakistan’s northwestern Hangu city killed five others. 

No militant outfit has so far taken credit for the attacks. Pakistan has accused India of having a hand in the attacks and has vowed to hunt militants across the country. 

Topics: Pakistan police

In Pakistan’s Gilgit city, new women’s market is ‘one-stop shop’ for gems and handicrafts

Updated 01 October 2023
Follow

In Pakistan’s Gilgit city, new women’s market is ‘one-stop shop’ for gems and handicrafts

  • Riverside market in Gilgit was inaugurated in August to develop tourism and economically empower local women
  • With 24 shops, market has a wide variety of handmade products that showcase the rich cultural heritage of the region
Updated 01 October 2023
Nisar Ali

GILGIT: Every day at the break of dawn, 28-year-old Haseena Farman unlocks her riverside shop of handcrafted shawls, sweaters, gemstones and decorative items and waits for customers.

Business has been going well since she opened the store in a recently inaugurated, eco-friendly women’s market that has become a godsend for women entrepreneurs in the mountainous northern city of Gilgit.

The market, which was inaugurated in August and has 24 shops so far, is a joint project of the Gilgit Development Authority and the Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry and has, in the words of businesswomen like Farman, given them a “special place” of trade in a region where, like many other parts of Pakistan, cultural and religious norms and social expectations act as barriers to prevent women’s entry into the business sector.

According to Gilgit-Baltistan’s Education Department, the female literacy rate in the area has been recorded at 41 percent while the male literacy rate has been recorded at 66 percent. Despite high literacy rates, women form only 15.5 percent of the labor force in Gilgit-Baltistan, according to data by the Agha Khan Rural Support Network, a non-profit company. 

“Earlier, we [women] didn’t have a special space [to sell our products],” Farman told Arab News. “I used to make these items for my cousins, relatives and sisters … After the opening of this market, we have got a proper setup.”

The photo taken on September 30, 2023 shows a shop at the Gems and Handicraft Market in Gilgit, Pakistan. (AN Photo)

“So far, it’s going well and I hope it will also continue to be like this in the future.”

Razia Asif, another female entrepreneur at the market who sells gems, jackets and decorative items, said she used to sell her goods from home until the market launched. 

“We opened this shop a month ago,” she said. “We have been given the opportunity by the government to bring our products to market.”

Speaking to Arab News, GDA director Sajid Wali described the market as a “one-stop shop” to buy local handicrafts, gemstones, dried fruits and traditional cuisines at affordable rates while enjoying a beautiful riverside view.

Wali also hoped, he said, that the market would serve both as a bustling tourist spot in the near future while empowering women of the region at the same time.

“We know the women of Gilgit-Baltistan have the skills,” he said.

The photo taken on September 30, 2023 shows a videw of the Gems and Handicraft Market in Gilgit, Pakistan. (AN Photo)

“However, only a limited number of products prepared by them reach our markets due to lack of opportunities. Their [home-based] businesses don’t run very smoothly all the time. We know these things and have tried to bring these women into a proper retail market.”

Mubareka Gul, an executive member of the Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Gilgit division, said women of the area previously found it difficult to market and sell their goods.

“For the first time in history [in Gilgit], women can run these businesses in a friendly environment under tight security,” she said. “This is a family market and families come and visit this place.”

“The women trained by us, who did not have direct market access, have become successful due to the government of Gilgit-Baltistan and the Women Chamber of Commerce,” Gul added. “We hope that this market will become a business hub.”

Gul urged the public to visit the newly inaugurated trade center with family members and explore the products being sold.

“I have visited this market two, three times,” Sultana Karim, a visitor, told Arab News as she bought cushions for her drawing room. 

“Each time it is a pleasure to come here because a variety of products are available.”

Topics: Gilgit Baltistan handigrafts GEMS

Latest updates

Traders in southwestern Pakistan shutter businesses to mourn Mastung blast victims
Saudi Arabia’s SME authority to help Pakistani IT companies scale businesses in Kingdom— minister
Libya’s eastern government postpones Derna reconstruction conference
Suicide attack wounds 2 police officers in Ankara near parliament: Interior Minister
Yemen’s state-run airline suspends only route out of Sanaa over Houthi restrictions on its funds

Search form

Print Edition
Read pdf version Subscribe now
© 2023 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.