When the Screens Go Dark: Understanding Cybersecurity, Digital Rights, and the Human Cost of Disconnect in Balochistan By Ali Hassan and Waqar Ahmed Shah

Imagine waking up in Quetta on the morning of March 23, 2026. It is Pakistan Day. You are a universitystudent named Sara. You have an assignment due at midnight, submitted through an online portal. Youreach for your phone, but the mobile data icon is gone. You try Wi-Fi—nothing. You call your classmate;the call fails. You step outside and learn that mobile internet has been suspended across the entireprovince. Again.This is not a hypothetical scenario. This was the reality for millions in Balochistan on Pakistan Day, whenauthorities suspended mobile and internet services citing security concerns. Schools had already beenclosed since March 9. For three weeks, an entire generation of students watched their academiccalendars dissolve into uncertainty while their screens stayed dark.We write this paper because we believe cybersecurity is too important to be discussed only in server