PDP chief urges MEA to ensure safety of students in Iran

Hindustan Times

4 hours ago

Former J&K chief minister (CM) Mehbooba Mufti has sought Centre's intervention for safeguarding Kashmiri students studying in Iran, and J&K Students Association has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the same.
Thousands of students from J&K are waiting for evacuation from different cities of Iran, with escalating tensions between Iran and Israel.
Former J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said that central government should ensure safety of students. 'Families of the stranded students in Iran are growing increasingly anxious with each passing day. I earnestly urge the ministry of external affairs to intervene and take immediate steps to ensure the safe return of their loved ones,' Mehbooba Mufti wrote on X.
Prominent Shia leader and general secretary of Peoples Conference Imran Reza Ansari said that government of India is working on evacuation of Indian nationals and J&K students. 'Spoke to HE Ambassador of Republic of India in Iran Rudra Gaurav Shresth. He is personally monitoring the situation and is ensuring the safety of the Indian nationals and students from Jammu and Kashmir They are working on evacuation of the students in Tehran to a safer location for the time being. We have complete faith and trust in all the officials at the mission in Tehran,' he wrote on X.
Meanwhile J&K Students Association in a letter to the PM has requested immediate intervention and evacuation of the Kashmiri students. The letter said that the dire situation is faced by hundreds of Kashmiri students currently studying in Iran, following the unprecedented escalation in hostilities between Iran and Israel.
'The recent Israeli preemptive airstrikes on Iran's nuclear infrastructure, followed by a barrage of retaliatory drone and missile attacks by Iran, have brought the region to the brink of a full-scale conflict. This volatile security environment has left thousands of Indian students, majority of them from Kashmir valley, extremely vulnerable and exposed to immediate danger. These students had travelled to Iran to pursue professional education, particularly MBBS, due to the country's economically viable academic infrastructure. Now, they find themselves in the middle of an active military zone, fearful for their lives,' reads the letter.
The letter said that numerous students have contacted the Indian Embassy in Tehran seeking support, relocation, or evacuation. 'However, they have not received any reassuring response or concrete information about what the next steps will be. They remain in a state of confusion and despair, with no clarity about evacuation plans, safety protocols, or emergency assistance. We earnestly urge you to direct the external affairs minister Dr S Jaishankar to take urgent steps to relocate the students to safer areas within Iran and initiate immediate evacuation efforts. This will provide much-needed relief and assurance to the distressed families back home.'