Internet and telecommunication services were restored across Afghanistan on Wednesday evening, ending a widespread 48-hour blackout that had crippled daily life, commerce, and connectivity.

The nationwide shutdown began abruptly on Monday evening and lasted until approximately 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, leaving millions of citizens disconnected. With the restoration of services, a wave of relief swept through the capital, Kabul, and other parts of the country.

The prolonged outage severely disrupted critical sectors, including banking services, international money transfers, and flight operations, while also cutting off a vital lifeline for citizens to communicate with relatives abroad and access information.

"For the past two days, our work was completely halted. We couldn't process transactions or communicate with our business partners," said Nasir Ahmad, a Kabul resident, echoing the frustrations of many traders and business owners. "Thanks to God, the Islamic Emirate restored the internet."

For students and professionals, the blackout meant an abrupt pause in their activities. "We are very happy that the internet is back. With internet access, we can continue our studies and people can once again connect with their relatives abroad," said Shamsullah, a Kabul resident.

Samiullah, another citizen, shared the sentiment, stating, "Now we can take care of both our studies and our work."

While welcoming the return of services, many citizens expressed concern over the possibility of future disruptions and called upon the authorities of the Islamic Emirate to prevent a recurrence.

“Now that the internet is back, we call on the Islamic Emirate not to allow another shutdown, because internet is a basic necessity today,” said Khalil Ehsan.

Beyond the call for stability, some users also urged for improvements in service quality. “We are grateful that the internet is back, but we ask the Islamic Emirate to also focus on improving its quality so that work can proceed more smoothly,” said Rasheedullah.

The restoration of services has alleviated the immediate crisis, but the 48-hour blackout has underscored the critical role of a stable internet connection in the nation's economic and social life. No official reason was provided for the prolonged suspension. (ILKHA)