Worried Parents of Jammu and Kashmir Students Stuck in Iran Seek Their Early Evacuation

As per official estimates, there are 1,900 Indian students including 1,370 from J&K currently pursuing higher education in Iran. The active hostilities between Iran and Israel particularly the latter’s airstrikes on locations including cities and towns in Iran have deeply traumatized them with many fearing for their lives.

The parents of some of them who spoke with media persons here on Sunday claimed that their children have, during their distress telephone calls back home, narrated horrifying experiences amid the escalating conflict and pleaded for their early evacuation.

The families of the stranded students have issued an urgent appeal to the Government of India particularly Minister of External Affairs, S. Jaishankar, to facilitate the immediate and safe evacuation of their children.

They said that all students studying in Iran have already registered with the Indian Embassy in Tehran in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). “However, the recent escalation and overnight blasts in the region have left the students traumatized and living in constant fear,” said one of them, pleading that the situation demands proactive steps to be taken by the government for their safe return to the country.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in a series of posts on ‘X’ said that he was in constant contact with the MEA and that a decision to evacuate these students will be taken based on the ground situation and keeping their safety and security as primary consideration.

He said, “I’m in touch with @MEAIndia regarding the evolving situation in Iran, particularly with regard to the students from Kashmir in Tehran, Shiraz, Qom & other cities. They, in turn, are in close contact with the authorities in Iran. A decision to evacuate, if necessary, will be taken based on the ground situation keeping the safety & security of these students as the primary consideration. We will keep everyone informed as the situation develops”. Abdullah added, “As a parent I assure all the concerned parents of my government’s close & continuous attention to this important developing situation”.

Meanwhile, an official spokesman here said that in view of the current situation in the Middle East, the Divisional Administration (Kashmir) has established a dedicated Control Room at the DC Office Srinagar to assist families of students studying in Iran.

“Parents and guardians can contact the Control Room to share details of their wards through landline numbers ++91 (0)194-2483651, 2457543 and 2457552 and WhatsApp number ++91-9103998355,” he said, adding, “The administration urges all concerned families to stay connected and make use of these helplines”.