Pakistan Army Ditches WhatsApp for Chinese WeChat Amid Spy Scandals
Pakistan’s army soldiers march during a military parade to mark Pakistan’s National Day in Islamabad on 25 March 2021.
Pakistan’s military has issued an internal directive to replace WhatsApp* with China’s WeChat for official communications, citing surveillance and data leak risks, multiple media report.Scandals, widely covered by the press, eroded trust: Pegasus Attack (2019): Israeli NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware targeted Pakistani government, defence, and intelligence officials, with WhatsApp being a primary infection vector. Court docs confirmed 58 Pakistani victimsVajraSpy Campaign (2024): Hacker group Patchwork APT used Trojanized Android apps to install spyware on Pakistani military personnel’s devices, stealing chats, contacts, and filesMass Hacking: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency recorded 1,400+ complaints of account hacks since July 2024 — mostly from phishing and SIM-swap scams. The issue was raised in the Senate.
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