DIGITAL SOVEREIGNTY AND SOCIETAL VULNERABILITY: AN ANALYSIS OF CYBERSECURITY THREATS IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

Since the auction of 3G/4G licenses by the federal government of Pakistan, the in-crease in internet connectivity and widespread adoption of smartphones has resulted in the country’s cybersecurity infrastructure coming under stress. This study discusses Pakistan’s contemporary and ever-evolving cyber threat landscape from 2023 to 2025. It is broadly di-vided into three distinct tiers: namely, 1) state-level hybrid warfare, 2) critical infrastructure vulnerabilities, and 3) individual-level cybercrime. At the state level, Pakistan faces acute cyber challenges and threats that target sensitive defence and diplomatic communications. Similarly, the mass transit systems of its megacities such as Lahore and Karachi and the fi-nancial system are also vulnerable to outside digital interference. The threat is equally pro-found on the civilian level, as highly publicized leaks of national databases such as NADRA have demonstrated. In addition to the vulnerability of national databases, financial fraud tar-geting ordinary citizens via banking apps and phishing attempts is also a very common phe-nomenon. This shows deficiencies in the enforcement mechanism of current legislative frameworks. Finally, the paper proposes a strategic roadmap focused on statutory data protec-tion, unified institutional governance, and mandatory OT standards to secure Pakistan's digi-tal infrastructure.

Bibliography Entry

Ranjha, Dr. Tehmina Aslam, and Ammad Malik. 2026. "Digital Sovereignty and Societal Vulnerability: An Analysis of Cybersecurity Threats in Pakistan." Strategic Thought (7): 97-114.