Made-in-Pakistan Secure Phones Are Finally a Reality

Pakistan has successfully developed a fully secure, made-in-Pakistan mobile phone designed for government officials. The device has been created under a pilot project of the National Telecommunication Corporation (NTC), with both its hardware and software engineered entirely within the country. NTC officials told ProPakistani that the secure handset operates on a specially developed operating system that does not connect to the internet, greatly reducing the risk of cyber intrusions. All applications on the phone have been developed locally, and the device supports SIM cards from any Pakistani telecom operator. Officials also confirmed that calls can only be made to another secure handset of the same type. NTC officials said the phone has no backup feature, making data extraction impossible in cases of theft or compromise. They added that communication through the device cannot be intercepted or monitored, ensuring the protection of sensitive conversations among government personnel. The officials informed higher authorities that ten secure mobile phones have been produced in the first phase of the pilot project. They noted that mass production will require additional funding to expand the initiative across government departments. NTC officials also emphasized that commercial communication platforms such as WhatsApp are not secure, as service providers can access user conversations. They stated that during the recent Pakistan-India conflict, WhatsApp communication was exposed, which emphasized the need for a dedicated secure communication device for government use.