Srinagar airport & highway shut, Kashmiri students set to sit for Jamia exams in a fix: ‘Spent the last year preparing for it'

Indian Express

09-05-2025

For the past several hours, a 21-year-old student from Bandipore in Jammu and Kashmir has been stuck in gridlocked traffic along the Srinagar-Jammu highway, flanked by her mother, bags of books, and a sense of helplessness.
'We were supposed to fly, but no flights are available. We tried to go by road, but landslides kept blocking the way. I don't know what to do, I will miss my examinations,' she says.
She is one of the many Kashmiri students scheduled to appear for entrance exams at Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi. The entrance tests, scheduled for this week, are crucial for admission into postgraduate programmes at the central university.
These students have been caught in a travel deadlock caused by the recent shutdown of Srinagar airport, triggered by rising tensions between India and Pakistan. To make the situation worse, traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was suspended early Thursday after heavy rain triggered multiple landslides.
'I have spent the last year preparing for this exam,' said a 23-year-old from Baramullah, speaking on the condition of anonymity. 'I have my admit card. But what do I do?'
Earlier this week, the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association had issued an urgent appeal to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Jamia Vice-Chancellor Prof Mazher Asif, requesting that the exams be postponed for students from the region.
'The only available route — the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway — is overcrowded, unsafe, and now closed due to heavy rain and landslides,' said Nasir Khuehami, national convenor of the association.
'Many students are stranded mid-way or unable to travel beyond Banihal. These are life-shaping exams and the anxiety among the aspirants is palpable…,' he added.
In a statement, the association urged the Education Ministry and Jamia authorities to either postpone the exams or conduct a separate round for the affected students. 'We are not seeking special treatment, just a fair opportunity,' Khuehami said.
Another student, who had planned to travel to Delhi, said, 'I had booked my flight for tomorrow, but now I might not be able to make it to the exam centre.'
'There's no bus, no flight, nothing. We have reached out to Jamia but have received no response…,' he added.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Jamia Chief Public Relations Officer Saima Saeed said, 'I am not aware that any such request has been made. No student has reached out to us.'