MEA must move beyond passive advisories, establish coordinated evacuation for Indian students in Iran: Congress
The Congress on Sunday (June 15, 2025) claimed that more than 1,500 Indian students are in a state of uncertainty in Iran and asked the Ministry of External Affairs to move beyond passive advisories to immediately establish a coordinated evacuation mechanism.
The Congress's assertion came after Indians in Iran were on Sunday (June 15, 2025) asked not to panic, exercise due caution and maintain contact with the Embassy of India in Tehran through its social media accounts in view of the current situation in the country following the launch of strikes by Israel.
The Congress's media and publicity department head Pawan Khera alleged that while Indian students in Iran are calling for help, the government remains largely unresponsive, even as missiles rain from the sky.
"With flights suspended, airspace over Tehran closed, and Internet access disrupted, more than 1,500 Indian students are left in a state of precarity and uncertainty - with no information about evacuation or safe zones," Mr. Khera said in a post on X.
The Indian Embassy has issued a generic advisory urging the students to "remain vigilant, avoid all unnecessary movements, follow the Embassy's Social Media accounts and observe safety protocols as advised by local authorities", he said.
"Meanwhile, students remain trapped in distress as the Indian Embassy in Iran remains unresponsive: 'We are traumatized after last night's attack. There has been no response from the Indian Embassy. Our families are panicking'," Mr. Khera said.
He claimed this is not the first time Indian citizens have been left pleading for help during foreign crises. 'Whether it was Sudan, Ukraine, or now Iran, Modi's government has turned evacuations into propaganda opportunities — stepping in late, speaking too much and doing too little, too slowly,' Mr. Khera alleged.
"The MEA must move beyond passive advisories and immediately establish a coordinated evacuation mechanism — complete with emergency response teams, real-time communication channels and logistic support — before the window for safe exit narrows any further," he said.
In an advisory, the Indian embassy in Iran asked all Indian nationals and Persons of Indian Origin to remain vigilant, avoid all unnecessary movements, follow the embassy's social media accounts and observe safety protocols as advised by local authorities.
The embassy provided a Google form on its X account and asked the Indian citizens to fill it out to provide their details. "Please remember, it is important not to panic, exercise due caution and maintain contact with the Embassy of India in Tehran," it said.
It also provided a Telegram link and asked the Indian citizens to join it to receive updates on the situation from the mission.
"Kindly note that this Telegram Link is ONLY for those Indian Nationals who are currently in Iran," the embassy posted on X. It also provided emergency contact details.
The Congress on Sunday (June 15, 2025) unequivocally condemned Israel's recent "bombings and targeted assassinations" on Iranian soil and said this attack on Iran's sovereignty and encroachment of its rights only deepens instability as well as sows the seeds of further conflict.
The Opposition party asserted that India must speak clearly, act responsibly and use every diplomatic channel available to defuse tensions and promote a return to dialogue.
Israel had on Friday launched Operation Rising Lion to strike at Iran's nuclear, missile and military complex. The strikes left key military commanders and nuclear scientists dead. Iran retaliated by launching waves of drones and ballistic missiles at Israel.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
33 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Canada-India ties: Modi, Carney to hold talks at G7 summit
Calgary, Alberta: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to meet, for the first time, G7 host and his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney on the margins of the global summit on Tuesday. According to the outlet Globe and Mail, they will have a 'one-on-one meeting'. The format of that meeting has yet to be reported. Modi is scheduled to arrive in Calgary on Monday evening (local time) and travel to the summit venue, the resort of Kananaskis the next morning for the G7 outreach session. During the course of a press conference in Calgary on Sunday, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand said that as the host of the G7, Carney 'must engage with global leaders on issues of global concern – on economic strength and trade diversification, on AI digital technology, on protecting green space from forest fires, on ensuring that defence and security are top of mind'. Asked about the principal irritant in the relationship, the killing of pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia on June 18, 2023, she said, 'On the bilateral front, it is fundamentally important to realise and to continue to recognise that the rule of law and system of investigation that the RCMP is undertaking will not compromised.' 'There is a law enforcement dialogue which is occurring between the two countries now,' she added. There are positive signals about the dialogue, as indicated by RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme in an interview with the network CTV on June 12. He said, 'The RCMP is engaged with its counterparts in India, and we are rebuilding that relationship. We want to fight the same crimes. We have common interest in it, and it's important to keep on building that relationship with our Indian counterparts.' 'We are rebuilding these relationships. The conversations have been positive and we're looking at planning other meetings with them as well,' he added. Both countries are aiming for a reset in the troubled relationship and that could also return India to its position as a significant factor in Canada's Indo-Pacific Strategy. When it was originally released in November 2022, that Strategy, it defined India as 'a critical partner in Canada's pursuit of its objectives.' Among the nations at the G7, as many as four – Japan, India, Korea and Australia – are from the region, while another, Indonesia was unable to participate. Global Affairs Canada, the country's foreign ministry, has recently been highlighting that strategy. That is part of Canada's 'review of foreign policy in general to reduce dependence on the United States, ' Vina Nadjibulla, the Asia-Pacific Foundation of Canada's vice-president, research and strategy, said, adding, 'It shows Carney wants to diversify Canada's economic and security partnerships.' She noted that while two years have been lost between India and Canada when it comes to the diplomatic and political fronts, commercial and economic ties. The 'Indo' in the Strategy will 'come into greater focus' if the two PMs are able to take the relationship forward, she said. The Indian PM's visit to Canada, the first since he came on a bilateral trip in April 2015, will be brief, lasting under 24 hours, before he leaves for Croatia.
Indian Express
35 minutes ago
- Indian Express
‘Key figure has Cyprus' citizenship': Congress claims SEBI's Adani probe hampered by lack of info sharing by tax-haven countries
The Congress on Monday claimed that a key figure in the Adani 'scam' has Cypriot citizenship, and said the ongoing SEBI investigations into transactions involving the conglomerate have been hampered by lack of sharing of financial information by tax-haven countries and 'lack of pressure' by India. The opposition party's assertions come amid the ongoing visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Cyprus. 'The Prime Minister is in Cyprus on his way to Canada. Of course, he would have us believe that it is a pure coincidence that a key figure in the Modani scam has Cypriot citizenship,' Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said. The Cyprus-based fund New Leaina has reportedly about USD 420 million in Adani companies, he claimed. 'The 'ultimate beneficial owners' of this fund are linked to Amicorp, which is believed to have set up at least seven Adani promoter entities, seventeen offshore shell companies linked to Mr. Vinod Adani, and three Mauritius-based offshore investors in Adani Group stock,' Ramesh said in his post on X. All these transactions are part of the ongoing SEBI investigations which have been hampered by lack of sharing of financial information by these and other tax-haven countries and lack of pressure by India, Ramesh alleged. There was no immediate reaction from the Adani Group on the claims but it has denied all such allegations made by the Congress and other entities. The Congress has been persistent in its attack on the government since the Adani Group stocks took a beating on the bourses in the wake of US-based short-selling firm Hindenburg Research making a litany of allegations, including fraudulent transactions and share-price manipulation, on the conglomerate headed by industrialist Gautam Adani. The Adani Group has dismissed all the charges made by the Congress and others as lies, saying it complies with all laws and disclosure requirements. Noting that Cyprus gained independence from British rule on Aug 16, 1960, Ramesh also said that in the 1950s, India spearheaded the international campaign for the full decolonisation of the island. In the context of today's geopolitics it is worthwhile to recall that India's championing of the independence of Cyprus in the 1950s and thereafter became a sore point in our bilateral relations with Turkey, he said.
Indian Express
35 minutes ago
- Indian Express
A Cong stronghold with a legacy of ministers, now set for crucial bypoll
Ludhiana West constituency came into existence in 1977 and since then it has witnessed 10 assembly elections with Congress clinching the seat six times. The seat has a rich political legacy, having sent multiple ministers to the Punjab cabinet over the years. To begin with, Congress stalwart Harnam Das Johar won from here in 1980, 1985, 1992, and 2002, holding important portfolios such as Higher and School Education, Local Bodies, and Rehabilitation during his 2 terms i.e from 1992-1997 and 2002-2007. He has also remained Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha after winning from the seat. Bharat Bhushan Ashu, also from the Congress, secured back-to-back victories in 2012 and 2017 and served as the Food and Civil Supplies Minister (2017–2022). The Akali Dal also registered two victories from the seat in 1997 and in 2007. While Mahesh Inder Grewal won from here in 1997 and became Medical Education Minister, in 2007, Harish Rai Dhanda became Chief Parliamentary Secretary after clinching the seat. The Janata Party's A Vishwanathan won the first election in 1977, and AAP's Gurpreet Gogi made a breakthrough by winning the seat in 2022. The bypoll was necessitated owing to his untimely death in January 2025. The constituency has produced three cabinet ministers and one chief parliamentary secretary—making it one of the most politically significant urban seats in Punjab. Current political scenario After the SAD-BJP alliance ended in 2020, both parties began contesting elections separately. In the 2022 Assembly polls, BJP stood third in Ludhiana West with over 28,000 votes, while SAD received just around 10,000 votes. Notably, in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, BJP led in this segment, followed by Congress and AAP. When in alliance, SAD always contested from this seat. This time, the seat will see a quadrangular contest. Local issues Despite being home to key areas such as Model Town, Model Town Extension, Sarabha Nagar, Gurdev Nagar, and Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar, Ludhiana West faces persistent civic challenges. Ravindra Vatsyayan, an Ayurveda scholar and a resident, said, 'Every time it rains, power goes out and water supply stops. Why can't we have power backup for tubewells or overhead water tanks like Chandigarh?' Aaditya Kumar rued the absence of good reading spaces. 'There are enough liquor shops, eating joints but not a single good public library,' he said. Cleanliness of Sidhwan Canal and the promotion of cycling to ease traffic congestion are also on the list of public demands.
