ISPR dismisses Indian media report claiming army has switched to WeChat

In response to Indian reports by Indian media claiming that the Pakistani Army had ordered officers and military personnel to stop using WhatsApp, an instant messaging service owned by US tech giant Meta, and switch to China’s WeChat for official and operational communications, an official from Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) told Global Times on Wednesday that the report was “incorrect,” not based on truth and was filled with “guessing work.”

According to intelligence sources cited by India Today, the directive applies to military personnel, officers and administrative staff, who have been advised to phase out WhatsApp and migrate to WeChat for their communication needs.

The Indian media report cited the intelligence report saying that the shift is being driven by concerns over the vulnerability of Western messaging platforms to surveillance, data breaches and potential interception, India Today reported on Tuesday.

The report also linked the alleged “switch of communication platforms” to China-Pakistan strategic and defense cooperation, claiming that the partnership between the two countries had expanded beyond military equipment to areas including digital infrastructure, cyber capabilities, communications and intelligence sharing.

Responding to the report, Hassan Ali, PR & Admin Officer at Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), media and public relations wing of the Pakistan Armed Forces, told the Global Times that the Indian media’s report was just “guessing work, incorrect,” and is not based on truth.

Hassan said the Pakistani military has never issued any orders, either publicly or privately, regarding the use of social media platforms, nor has it instructed military personnel to favor any particular messaging app. He said the military does not use social media-based instant messaging services such as WhatsApp or WeChat for work involving national security. Outside of official duties, whether officers and soldiers choose to use WhatsApp or WeChat is a personal matter, and the military has never intervened or offered guidance on such choices.

According to the Global Times observation, WhatsApp remains the most widely used instant messaging platform in Pakistan. As cooperation between China and Pakistan continues to expand across various fields, a growing number of Pakistanis have also downloaded WeChat to communicate with Chinese clients and friends.