Afghan business owners watch on as progress unravels

BOSTON — As the world watches the disturbing images from Afghanistan unfold, Baheja Rostami and her husband look on with fear and anxiety from Brighton.

“It breaks my heart to see that people are at that point,” said Rostami.

The couple puts in long days at their restaurant Ariana, on Western Avenue in Brighton.

They have been trying to communicate as much as possible with their family in their home country and what they are hearing is not good.

“They are saying things are shut down, even though they are saying the Taliban is going to allow life to go forward as it was maybe a week ago they are saying no they don’t see that happening,” said Rostami.

Even harder to process for her, all the progress for women and girls in their home country is now gone.

“All of sudden within a couple of nights we went back twenty years, we reset everything back to 20 years,” said Rostami.

She describes day to day lives in complete upheaval.

“Schools are going to be shut down. I know that especially for girls and women, I’m sure they are not going to be allowed to work I don’t think they are going to be allowed to come into work and be a doctor, nurse of educator, definitely not going to have any roles in the government,” said Rostami.

Not to mention thoughts of ever returning home now torn away.

“It just breaks my heart that we don’t have a home now… we really don’t,” said Rostami.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW

©2021 Cox Media Group