Now Saeed and his family are among thousands who have returned home to escape the economic crisis in Iran triggered by the conflict with the US and Israel.

The family came back nearly empty-handed, Saeed said.

“The Iranian currency had fallen so sharply,” he said, that the family’s savings, held in Iranian rials, lost over two-thirds of their value.

For decades, Iran’s industrialised and much larger economy offered Afghans an escape from poverty and, in the 1990s and again since 2021, from the harsh rule of the Taliban.

Now, Iran’s economy has collapsed so severely that many Afghans said they saw returning as their only option. They are coming back with their wives and daughters, despite the severe restrictions on women in Afghanistan, with curbs on their education, travel and employment.

Reuters journalists spent one week in the border regions of Afghanistan’s Herat province and neighbouring Farah speaking to people returning from Iran. Free to discuss it without fear of Iranian government scrutiny, most of those returning described a shattered economy in Iran.

At the dusty Islam Qala border crossing between Iran and Afghanistan, a near-constant flow of returning migrants were undergoing document checks and registration formalities.

Officials were sitting in makeshift shipping containers. Coming back to their homeland, the returnees were faced with barren desert mountains and a pothole-plastered highway, the road to Herat, the biggest city in western Afghanistan.

Most returning Afghans said they had been out of work for months and crushed by spiralling inflation before they decided to return.

Compounded by the impact of tightening sanctions and a US naval blockade that has recently left Iran without shipping any meaningful crude exports through the Strait of Hormuz, consumer prices have surged by nearly 90 per cent year on year, according to Iran’s Statistical Centre.

Food inflation has been even higher, at almost 130pc, making bread, milk and other essentials increasingly unaffordable.

Iran’s mission in New York did not respond to a request for comment.

In the past, some Afghan salesmen could make profits in Iran’s bazaars by selling goods at around double the price at which they’d been purchased, said Sayed Jawed Qazi Khani, a 40-year-old migrant. But inflation and vanishing savings among both Iranians and Afghan migrants led to a collapse in consumer demand.

“What remained was day labour,” he said, often at the same wage as one year ago.

Only 29pc of Afghans who recently returned from Iran said they had any savings left after their average income fell by nearly one-third compared to pre-crisis levels, according to surveys by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

More women return

More than two million Afghans have left Iran over the past two years. Most were deported or pressured to leave by Iranian authorities before the latest wave of returnees, who left amid the war, according to data from the UN Refugee Agency.

Forced deportation remains a leading reason why Afghans are returning, with unaccompanied men long appearing to be the primary focus of Iranian authorities. But compared to pre-crisis levels, the crowds of returning Afghans increasingly also include women and entire families, according to returnees and IOM data.

For many Afghan mothers and their daughters who had held out in Iran after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, Iran’s recent economic crisis has confronted them with an almost impossible choice: face poverty there, or return to a country where half the women leave home only once or twice a month, according to the UN.

The Taliban’s rules restrict women from travelling without male guardians and have barred them from some professions. The Taliban insist they respect women’s rights in accordance with Islamic law.

Abdul Jabbar, 44, said he did not want to take his wife, two daughters, grandson and mother back to Afghanistan.

Their family had lived in Iran for nearly four decades and Jabbar had found work as an exterior finisher of buildings. The family had a comfortable life and a modern apartment in Kerman, near an Iranian military base.

His face flushed from the heat of the flatbread oven wedged into the one room they now have in Afghanistan, he said in an interview: “I used to say that even if Afghanistan was only two streets away, I would not go.”

When the nearby military base was repeatedly hit by missiles and work dried up amid the war this year, Jabbar said, extended Afghan family members encouraged him to return, promising work and safety from American missiles.

When Jabbar arrived in Afghanistan with virtually no belongings or savings, relatives donated essentials and lent him money.

Two months on, he remains unemployed and, unable to repay the money, has worn out his welcome. The family now lives in a sweltering mud-brick house with only one room where solar panels are the sole source of electricity. The dusty carpet was donated.

His 15-year-old daughter Setayesh, who wants to become a fashion designer, misses her life in Iran.

“If I could, I would go back,” she said. “For my education, my friends.”

Restarting a cheese business

At Islam Qala, at least 20 to 40 families, including women and girls, return voluntarily each day, said Abdul Ghani Qazizadeh, a senior Taliban government official at the border.

“The wages they earn are no longer enough to cover their basic living expenses,” he said.

Many Afghan workers complained that their Iranian employers were withholding wages, he said.

“Everyone complains that their money has been left behind.”

In Iran, Saeed and his mother, 42-year-old Rezwana Jami, said they had started a business producing cheese used in pizzas when they arrived in 2021. Initially, it thrived, and the family found loyal customers.

As US-Iran tensions escalated this year and inflation surged, food became so scarce that Jami said she struggled to source the ingredients needed for the business, including milk.

“I could no longer continue production,” she said, eventually forcing the family to return five months ago.

Jami and Saeed said they have used their last savings to buy new kitchen equipment in Afghanistan and have resumed the production of pizza cheese in their new home.

The family sees a market opportunity in Afghanistan, where high-quality pizza cheese is a rare commodity. They say they work with girls who would be of school age in other countries, but are barred from education above sixth grade and from university under Taliban rules.

Since Jami’s return to Afghanistan five months ago, she said her 17-year-old daughter has struggled the most.

“She keeps telling me, ‘Mother, I studied for eight years, and now I’m just staying at home’,” Jami said.

“There is nothing I can do except telling her, ‘Be patient. God is generous’.”

Header image: Afghan nationals carrying their belongings walk after crossing the border from Iran at the Islam Qala border crossing in Herat province, Afghanistan, on Sept 3, 2026. — Reuters

A large quantity of weapons and ammunition was recovered from the possession of the terrorists of Fitna al Hindustan, according to security sources cited by Radio Pakistan.

Fitna al Hindustan is a term designated by the state for terrorist organisations in Balo­chistan.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi praised security forces for the “successful operation conducted under Operation Radd-ul-Fitna 3”, state-run APP reported.

In a statement, the minister said the operation reflected the capability and commitment of the forces in dealing with security threats.

He affirmed that security forces remain determined to maintain peace in Balochistan and continue efforts to counter terrorism. He noted that personnel deployed in different areas of the province were carrying out their responsibilities with commitment and resolve.

Naqvi noted that security forces had once again foiled terrorists’ plans through timely action.

The minister further said that the complete elimination of terrorists and their facilitators was the demand of the entire nation. He said all institutions were working toward this objective, and efforts will continue to address security challenges.

Terror attacks in Balochistan

Balochistan has witnessed an increase in terrorist attacks in recent weeks, prompting security forces to intensify counter-terrorism operations.

Last month, the number of terrorist attacks in the province increased by seven per cent from 83 in July to 89 in August, according to a monthly assessment by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies.

On the night of Aug 31-Sept 1, terrorists of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) launched a coordinated attack on the Customs House, located at Ziarat Cross on the N-50 National Highway, in the Pishin district.

In retaliatory action, security forces killed 10 terrorists while two officers were among six martyred in the fire exchange, according to the military’s media affairs wing.

Also on August 31, 11 terrorists belonging to Fitna-al-Hindustan, who had blocked the N-40 Quetta-Taftan highway by establishing an illegal checkpoint for extortion in Chagai’s Nokcha area, were killed following an intense exchange of fire.

On September 2, security forces killed 12 terrorists in the Kalat district during an IBO. Days later, the troops killed 11 terrorists and recovered 2.9 tonnes of explosives during separate IBOs in Kharan and Washuk districts.

Another 36 terrorists were eliminated during multiple “high-tempo” operations conducted in Mastung, Quetta, Kalat and Sibi districts, the Inter-Services Public Relations said on September 4. These also included thwarting an attack on a police station in Sibi’s Bhag area.

On Monday, nine terrorists, including a key commander of a banned outfit, were killed by security forces and the Balochistan Counter-Terrorism Department in two separate operations in Mastung, Pishin and Qila Abdullah districts.

“The public is advised not to believe or share such misleading content and to rely only on official government channels for authentic notifications and announcements,” the ministry’s fact check account said in a post on X.

The fake notification shared along with the post said that a four-day work week would be observed with Friday, Saturday and Sunday being weekly off days.

The fake notification was dated September 16, a day after the government had said it was considering reviving austerity measures.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Monday that the government was considering reviving austerity measures introduced during a previous fuel conservation drive amid renewed hostilities in the Middle East.

The austerity measures were announced on March 9 to mitigate the impact of the ongoing US-Iran war. These included a 50 per cent cut in fuel allowances for official vehicles, salary cuts for lawmakers and a partial work-from-home policy in the public sector.

Rizwan’s counsel, Qazi Umair Ali, appeared before the court today and contended that the NCCIA had unlawfully summoned the cricketer through a notice issued on Sept 8.

After receiving the notice, Rizwan and fellow cricketer Imamul Haq did appear before the NCCIA on Sept 10, but the former went on to challenged the inquiry and the agency’s notice in the LHC.

However, Justice Neelum refused to hear the petition on Thursday and directed Rizwan’s lawyer to submit a written response to the NCCIA notice first.

“Just go and respond to the notice,” she instructed the lawyer, refusing to entertain the petition at this stage.

Later, Rizwan’s lawyer said while speaking to the media outside the courtroom that a response to the agency had already been submitted.

In his plea, Rizwan criticised the NCCIA notice and the inquiry initiated by agency. According to the plea, the NCCIA had directed Rizwan to appear before it on Sept 10 in connection with allegations of online betting or gambling in Pakistan cricket.

He argued in his plea that the notice was vague, arbitrary and issued without legal jurisdiction.

The petition contended that online betting was not a scheduled offence under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 or the amendments made to the law in 2025, which rendered the probe a “fishing and roving expedition” intended to harass and malign Rizwan’s reputation.

Expressing apprehension over potential “coercive” measures, including his arrest or detention, Rizwan urged the court to set aside the notice, quash the inquiry, and restrain authorities from taking any “adverse” action against him.

The NCCIA inquiry was launched pursuant to a complaint lodged by the Mohsin Naqvi-led Pakis­tan Cricket Board (PCB) during the recent England series, which ended with a dismal 3-0 Test whitewash for the national side.

At the time, it was reported that the NCCIA’s probe pertained to alleged dressing-room leaks during the recent England series.

The PCB also announced on Sept 7, while the England series was ongoing, that it had “initiated an internal disciplinary inquiry following media reports concerning discipline and conduct, which are currently being reviewed internally”.

On Sept 11, Imam and Rizwan were also barred from playing in the President’s Trophy Grade-I domestic first-class tournament.

The two were also among the seven players who were called back home following Pakistan’s defeats in the first two Tests, leaving England with an unassailable lead in the three-match series.

The development came as a two-judge SC bench, comprising Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, took up the couple’s appeals against the Islamabad High Court’s refusal in February to suspend the sentences.

On January 24, an Islamabad sessions court sentenced Imaan and Hadi to a total of 17 years in jail on multiple charges under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca).

On Thursday, the SC ordered the couple’s release after granting them bail against surety bonds of Rs200,000. It ordered their release on bail pending the IHC’s final verdict.

“Both are lawyers and we are keeping their honour,” observed Justice Afghan, but also asked senior counsel Faisal Siddiqui, the couple’s lawyer, to tell the appellants to observe the court’s decorum.

“There is a difference between a lawyer and an ordinary person,” the judge observed.

Imaan and Hadi have been in jail since their arrest on January 23 in a case registered against them for protesting outside the IHC and allegedly manhandling the IHC Bar Association (IHCBA) president. The arrest prompted criticism by rights bodies, politicians and journalists, who stressed the couple’s right to a fair trial.

Just a day later, a sessions court convicted Imaan and Hadi in the social media posts case.

It sentenced the duo to 10 years’ imprisonment under Section 10 (cyber terrorism), five years’ imprisonment under Section 9 (glorification of an offence) and two years’ imprisonment under Section 26-A (false and fake information) of Peca.

The case

The case against Imaan and Hadi stemmed from a complaint filed on Aug 12, 2025 by the assistant director (investigating officer) at the NCCIA Islamabad, before the Federal Investigation Agency’s Cybercrime Reporting Centre.

The complaint accused Imaan of disseminating and “propagating narratives that align with hostile terrorist groups and proscribed organisations”, while her husband was implicated for reposting some of her posts.

The first information report (FIR) in the case alleged that the two held security forces responsible for cases of missing persons in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

It also stated that they had portrayed the armed forces as ineffective against proscribed groups, including the banned outfits Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Judge Majoka indicted Imaan and Hadi on Oct 30, 2025 and then issued arrest warrants for the couple on Nov 5, 2025.

Following their convictions in January, which were widely condemned by lawyers and United Nations (UN) experts, the couple challenged their convictions before the IHC on February 7.

More to follow