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New Indian Express
23-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
‘We thought it was the last night of our lives': Students evacuated from Iran
BENGALURU: Darkness fell over Iran on a cold Friday evening, and this time, it was one of the darkest nights the city has faced. 'It was 3:30 in the evening on June 13 — I will never forget that date or time. Just one kilometer from our dormitory, missiles fell. There was a boom, like thunder. At first, we didn't know what had happened. When we realized it was a missile strike, we were numb and shaken,' recalls Syed Mohsin Raza from Alipur, a second-semester MBBS student at Shahid Beheshti University who was staying in District 3, where the bombing initially began. Syed was among the batch of students evacuated from Iran and who landed on Sunday. Shockwaves shattered the windows of Tehran's buildings and the dormitory walls shook. 'We first thought it was just an army vehicle or something,' he said. 'But then the windows broke, the opposite building shook… we saw it with our own eyes. We saw the missile and air defence system, and understood it was serious.' The Indian Embassy in Tehran was close by, but they couldn't go. 'We contacted the embassy. We called them and asked for help as the situation was getting worse,' Syed said. Syeda Faize Zainab, who lived in District 6 of Tehran, remembers the chaos in her dormitory, running and hiding in the basement with the hope of saving her life. 'There was bombardment and explosions all around, and we had to hide in the basements. We thought we would die, that it was the last night of our lives,' says Syeda.
Indian Express
22-06-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
Why so many Indian students — especially from Kashmir — go to Iran for higher education
The ongoing Iran–Israel conflict, and the Indian government's efforts to evacuate its citizens — especially medical students — from the region, has once again thrown the spotlight on a recurring question: Why do so many Indian students go abroad to study medicine? According to the MEA's estimated data of Indian students studying abroad, in 2022, about 2,050 students were enrolled in Iran, mostly for medical studies, at institutions like the Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University and Islamic Azad University. A significant number of the students are from Kashmir. This is not the first time a geopolitical crisis has exposed the scale of India's outbound medical education. In 2022, during the Russia – Ukraine war, the Indian government had to evacuate thousands of medical students under 'Operation Ganga'. Now, as tensions escalate in West Asia, the spotlight returns to the systemic, economic, and cultural factors that continue to drive Indian students to pursue medical degrees overseas. A growing trend Despite a significant rise in the number of medical seats in India—from around 51,000 MBBS seats in 2014 to 1.18 lakh in 2024 —tens of thousands of students continue to pursue medical education abroad. The trend is visible in the rising number of candidates appearing for the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE), which is mandatory for practicing medicine in India after studying abroad. About 79,000 students appeared for the FMGE in 2024, up from 61,616 in 2023 and just over 52,000 in 2022. This outward movement is driven by two main factors: competitiveness and cost. 'While the number of MBBS seats have increased in the country, the field continues to remain competitive. Students have to get a very good rank to get into government colleges,' said Dr Pawanindra Lal, former executive director of the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences, which conducts the FMGE. More than 22.7 lakh candidates appeared for NEET-UG in 2024 for just over 1 lakh MBBS seats. Only around half of these seats are in government colleges. The rest are in private institutions, where costs can soar. 'A candidate ranked 50,000 can get admission in a good private college but the fees can run into crores. How many people in the country can afford that? It is just simple economics that pushes students towards pursuing medical education in other countries. They can get the degree at one-tenth the cost in some of the countries,' said Dr Lal. Why Iran — And why so many Kashmiris? While affordability draws many Indian students abroad, Iran holds a unique appeal for those from the Kashmir Valley. For them, the choice is shaped not just by economics, but also by cultural and historical ties. 'Kashmir for a very long time has been called Iran-e-Sagheer or Iran Minor,' said Professor Syed Akhtar Hussain, a Persian scholar at Jawaharlal Nehru University. 'There is a historical factor—that the topography of Kashmir and the culture of Kashmir are similar to that of Iran. In the old times, they always thought Kashmir was a part of Iran in a way.' Religious affinity is another driver. 'Because there is a Shia element in Kashmir, and presence of Shia in Iran, that presence makes it more familiar for Kashmiris to associate themselves with… Iran became a country that they wanted to maintain affinity with. Iran is also a Shia country. Iran also feels happy that it has that special space in the heart of Kashmir,' he said. The relationship has practical benefits as well. Most Kashmiri students pursue medical education in Tehran, while others study Islamic theology in the holy cities of Qom and Mashhad. According to Prof. Hussain, Iran has even created admission pathways tailored for Kashmiri students. 'Iran gives some concessions to Kashmiri students to go and study there. By virtue of being Shia, they get admission very quickly and easily… for Kashmiris in Iran, it's less expensive.' This is often referred to as the 'pargees quota'. 'Shia students not only go to Iran to study medical sciences, they also study theology in Iran. Since the Islamic governance was formed in 1979, since then Kashmiri students have been going to Iran to study,' he added. Beyond academics, many students describe Iran as a 'second home,' noting the similarities in food, culture, climate, and community warmth. 'Students feel very homely while studying there. The cuisine, everything is almost the same, and students feel like they are in Kashmir. Because the regime is Shia, the Iranians also have a soft corner for Kashmiris,' said Prof. Hussain. He traced this deep-rooted connection back to the 13th century: 'One person named Meer Sayyed Ahmed Ali Hamadani from Iran came to Kashmir. He brought about 200 Syeds along with him, and those people brought crafts and industry from Iran to Kashmir. They brought carpet, papier-mâché, dry fruits and saffron too. Historically, this is the link. Kashmir and Central Asia's biggest link is Hamadani.' What are the risks? Though admission is relatively easier and cheaper abroad, experts warn of important caveats. 'There are not a lot of eligibility requirements. If the student can pay, they usually get admission. Some universities run two batches for each year to accommodate more students,' said Dr Lal. However, he warned that some foreign universities operate two tiers of medical education: one designed to produce local doctors, and another primarily to award degrees to foreigners. 'In fact, after completing some of the courses meant for foreigners, the students may not be eligible to practice in the host country. This means they are running two different medical courses,' he said. To address this, India's National Medical Commission (NMC) has introduced a rule stating that students will be eligible to practice in India only if they are also eligible to practice in the country where they studied. The NMC also mandates that the medical course be 54 months long, completed at a single university, followed by a one-year internship at the same institution. Dr Lal also flagged the lack of transparent information: 'There are no foreign colleges or universities listed by the country's medical education regulator that people can trust… The regulator should either provide a list of approved colleges or select, say, the top 100 colleges from a given country.' What happens when they return? Even after securing their degree, foreign-trained doctors face several hurdles in India. Students from the Philippines, for instance, faced recognition issues because their courses were only 48 months long, short of the required 54. A major bottleneck is the FMGE, which all foreign-trained doctors must clear. The pass rate has historically been low: 25.8% in 2024, 16.65% in 2023, and 23.35% in 2022. 'Even afterwards, they face challenges in getting employed. This is because their training is not as robust. There have been cases where the students did not have a single stamp on their passport. Sometimes there is a lack of patients and practical training. The FMGE questions are simple, meant to test the students' practical knowledge. And, yet, many are unable to pass the examination even after several attempts,' said Dr Lal. Anonna Dutt is a Principal Correspondent who writes primarily on health at the Indian Express. She reports on myriad topics ranging from the growing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension to the problems with pervasive infectious conditions. She reported on the government's management of the Covid-19 pandemic and closely followed the vaccination programme. Her stories have resulted in the city government investing in high-end tests for the poor and acknowledging errors in their official reports. Dutt also takes a keen interest in the country's space programme and has written on key missions like Chandrayaan 2 and 3, Aditya L1, and Gaganyaan. She was among the first batch of eleven media fellows with RBM Partnership to End Malaria. She was also selected to participate in the short-term programme on early childhood reporting at Columbia University's Dart Centre. Dutt has a Bachelor's Degree from the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune and a PG Diploma from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. She started her reporting career with the Hindustan Times. When not at work, she tries to appease the Duolingo owl with her French skills and sometimes takes to the dance floor. ... Read More
NBC News
18-06-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Will Israel's airstrikes cause the collapse of the Iranian regime?
With his country having killed some of Iran's top military commanders and rattled its leadership, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his government's aerial assault on Iran could trigger the collapse of the regime, opening the door to a popular uprising. 'It's impossible to predict, but it could be the result of our mighty action,' Netanyahu told reporters. 'We are changing the face of the Middle East.' That scenario, according to scholars who study Iran, as well as former U.S. and Israeli officials, is unlikely. The theocratic government remains deeply unpopular, but it still has a tight grip on power, and no organized opposition is poised to seize authority, they say. And if there is change at the top, it might come not from a popular uprising but from a coup within the regime, which might produce an even more authoritarian result. Still, the Iranian government is struggling to cope with the attacks. Some experts say that even if Israel's onslaught does not topple the regime, it could inflict permanent damage, leaving it in a weakened state that could embolden opposition activists or fuel internal power struggles inside the theocratic system. After having initially targeted nuclear and missile sites at the start of its air campaign last week, Israel has expanded its target list to include oil facilities, police headquarters and the state television center — all representing crucial elements of the government's political and economic power. 'They're going after the apparatus of repression inside the regime,' said Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a think tank that has called for imposing tougher sanctions and other measures against Iran. If they weaken the security services used to crush dissent in Iran, the strikes could open up more space for opponents of the regime, Dubowitz said. 'I think their hope is we can undermine and distract the security forces and have Iranians take to the streets, as they've been for many years now, and take back their country,' he said. 'It's one of the key pillars of the Israeli strategy.' Wary of foreign interference But Israeli missiles may not be the ideal vehicle for overturning Iran's authoritarian rule, experts said. Hamidreza Azizi, a former professor at Iran's Shahid Beheshti University who is now a visiting fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, said that several days into the conflict, 'we still see no sign of a popular uprising against the government.' On the contrary, Azizi said, 'images of devastation in civilian areas and the deaths of innocent people are making Iranians — who are inherently patriotic and emotionally connected to their nation — quite uneasy about Israel's ultimate intentions.' Suzanne Maloney, who has written about Iran's politics and advised previous U.S. administrations, said the Iranian people's dissatisfaction with the regime is also coupled with deep national pride and a wariness of foreign interference. 'Iranians are very well understood to resent their government. They're deeply critical of its failures, both in terms of how it has governed the country and how it has represented their interests on the world stage,' said Maloney, a vice president at the Brookings Institution think tank. 'But they also are fiercely nationalistic.' Given Iran's bitter experience with foreign meddling, distrust of outside powers is pervasive, and it is a 'third rail' in Iranian politics since a U.S.-British coup toppled a democratically elected prime minister in 1953, she said. Since it came to power in the 1979 revolution that toppled the country's pro-Western monarch, the Islamic Republic has a long record of repression, using its security services to crush protests and imprison dissidents. The government is also struggling to contain rising discontent over the ailing economy, which has been plagued by rampant inflation and financial misery for millions of Iranians, according to regional analysts and Western diplomats. Officials in Tehran have blamed U.S. sanctions for the economic troubles. Every few years, popular anger erupts in the streets. Most recently, demonstrators vented their outrage after the killing of Mahsa Amini, who died in a hospital in 2022 after the country's morality police arrested her for not adhering to the country's dress code, which requires women to conceal their hair and the shapes of their bodies. Iranian opponents of the regime have had mixed reactions to the Israeli strikes. Reza Pahlavi, the eldest son of the deposed shah, who ruled Iran for four decades until he was forced out by mass street protests in 1979, said that the regime in Tehran was 'at its weakest point' and that Iranians now had an opportunity to secure democratic rule. 'Now is our moment,' he said on X. Several prominent Iranian activists and filmmakers, including Nobel laureates Shirin Ebadi and Narges Mohammadi, wrote an op-ed calling for an immediate end to the fighting and demanded that the Iranian government halt uranium enrichment work. The group also denounced attacks on civilians by both Iran and Israel and called for a transition to democracy in Iran. 'Deeply committed to Iran's territorial integrity and the inalienable right of its people to self-determination under genuine sovereignty, we believe that continuing uranium enrichment and the devastating war between the Islamic Republic and the Israeli regime neither serves the Iranian people nor humanity at large,' it said. It added: 'Iran and its people should not be sacrificed for uranium enrichment and the ambitions of the Islamic Republic.' Imprisoned reformist Mostafa Tajzadeh — an ardent critic of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — has condemned Israel's barrage, arguing it did not offer a legitimate way to oust the regime. 'I know that some sections of the people are happy with these attacks, because they see them as the only way to change the failed clerical government,' Tajzadeh said in a letter from prison, according to Gooya, a Persian-language news website based in Belgium. 'But even if the war leads to such an outcome, Iran will be left in ruins, where most likely statelessness and chaos will prevail.' Tajzadeh, who was deputy interior minister more than 20 years ago and has favored a rapprochement with the West, called Israel's strikes 'the aggression of a foreign army, on the orders of someone who has been accused of war crimes' — referring to Netanyahu — which, 'in my opinion, lacks political and moral justification and has no precedent in post-constitutional Iran.' So far, there have been no signs of major defections from the country's political leadership, and most Iranians are focused on trying to seek safety amid daily bombing raids from Israel, said Karim Sadjadpour, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 'I think people are under aerial bombardment, and they're just thinking about staying alive and staying safe, staying secure. They're not thinking about waging political protests,' he told MSNBC. Although an overwhelming majority of Iranians reject the government's rule, there is no opposition in waiting, and the regime remains heavily armed and organized, Sadjadpour said. 'At the moment, they probably are calculating 'kill or be killed,'' he said. 'And they have their fingers on the trigger right now.' Regime change Unlike their Israeli counterparts, President Donald Trump and his top aides have not encouraged the Iranian people to rise up or invoked the idea of ousting the regime. During his first term, Trump's deputies expressed solidarity with the Iranian people and privately argued that economic sanctions could cause the regime to unravel. But Trump and his current Cabinet are outspoken critics of previous U.S. attempts at 'regime change' in Iraq and elsewhere, and some of Trump's supporters worry the United States could be drawn into another military intervention in the Middle East. Daniel Shapiro, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank who was U.S. ambassador to Israel during the Biden administration, said Israel should stick to a more realistic goal of disabling Iran's nuclear and missile programs and steer clear of trying to shape Iran's internal politics. 'There are certainly plausible scenarios where this becomes a regime-threatening event, but I don't think it's imminent, and I don't think it should be the goal of the military campaign,' Shapiro said. An attempt to change the regime would be a 'massive undertaking' that would depend on factors beyond the control of any outside power, he said. 'That's a recipe for overreach and for getting drawn into a lengthy and potentially fruitless kind of military engagement. The memory is very heavy of what happened to us in Iraq,' Shapiro said. An elite coup? The Israeli assault has exposed widespread vulnerabilities in Iran's security and military establishment, which could fuel power struggles and possible defections, experts said. 'The Tehran regime is unlikely to be toppled by a popular uprising, but it is possible that Iran witnesses an elite coup,' said Lina Khatib, an associate fellow at the London think tank Chatham House. Israel's extensive infiltration of Iran's military and government, illustrated by its ability to assassinate top military commanders, shows that Israel most likely has a degree of support among elements of the Iranian regime, Khatib said. Even though those Iranians might not support Israel itself, they 'share with Israel the objective of regime change,' she said. Israel's bid to topple the Iranian government carries serious risks, including producing an even harder-line regime dominated by members of the country's Revolutionary Guard Corps, experts said. 'Given the history of this regime, given what the Iranian people have suffered, I think it's a wrongheaded and ineffective strategy and one that it may, in fact, backfire on Israel,' Maloney of Brookings said. 'Be careful what you wish for. An Iran that is racked by violence and chaos is not going to be a better neighbor,' she added.
Arab News
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
India evacuates students from Tehran as Israel hits civilian sites
NEW DELHI: India's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday it was moving Indian students out of Tehran, as many sought safety after their universities were shut down amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes. Israeli attacks on Iran started on Friday, when Tel Aviv hit more than a dozen sites — including key nuclear facilities, residences of military leaders, and of scientists — claiming they were aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Daily attacks have been ongoing for the past five days after Iran retaliated with ballistic missile strikes against Israel. As the Israeli military intensified its bombing of civilian targets, hitting Iran's state broadcaster on Monday, stranded foreigners — including 6,000 Indian students — have been struggling to leave. 'Most of the students here were living in apartments, including me and my friend. The first blast in Tehran happened in Sa'adat Abad district, where me and my friend were living,' Hafsa Yaseen, a medical student at Shahid Beheshti University, told Arab News. 'One of our university's nuclear scientists was martyred in these blasts. Situation is really bad.' According to the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education, at least 224 people have been killed and 1,481 wounded in Israeli attacks since Friday. Most of the casualties have been reported in Tehran. India's Ministry of External Affairs confirmed in a statement that it was moving those studying at universities in the Iranian capital 'out of the city for reasons of safety.' Yaseen was among a group of a few hundred students moved on Monday to Qom, 140 km south of the capital city. 'Me and my friend were frightened, and we just thought it's our turn now to die. We were literally calling our parents and telling them goodbye,' she said. 'We are not even safe here, because we are still in Iran (and) anything can happen ... We are in constant fear that we might die and our families are more stressed than us. I just want to request the government of India to evacuate us from here as soon as possible.' A group of 110 Indian students from Urmia University of Medical Sciences in northwestern Iran has already been assisted by the Indian authorities to leave through the land border with Armenia. 'All the Indian students who had crossed the Iran-Armenia border have now safely reached the capital city, Yerevan. This includes around 90 students from Kashmir Valley, along with others from various Indian states,' said Nasir Khuehami, national convenor of the Jammu and Kashmir Students Union. 'Their flight from Armenia to Delhi is scheduled for tomorrow, with all necessary arrangements being facilitated in coordination with the Indian authorities. This comes as an immense relief to the families.' The families of those remaining in Iran have been pleading with Indian authorities to also bring them home. 'Please save my daughters. My two daughters study (at) Shahid Beheshti University. They are in great panic — the situation in Tehran is so bad that students are in great panic,' one of the mothers, Mubeena Ali, told Arab News through tears. 'They have been shifted to Qom but they feel afraid ... They are greatly distressed. They want to be evacuated.'
Time of India
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Karnataka students in Iran seek state government's help for evacuation
Bengaluru: Students from Karnataka studying medicine at Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, reached out to the state govt for help to evacuate them from Iran. The students are currently with Indian embassy officials amid the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict. The students are in constant touch with their parents. The state govt said one of the students and his parents in Bengaluru reached out to it seeking help in their evacuation. "Nine students are from Karnataka, of whom six are from Bengaluru. One student and his parents contacted us over the phone and expressed their fear and desire to return to India. Office of Non-Resident Committee vice chairperson Aarti Krishna wrote to the ministry of external affairs requesting it to take steps to immediately bring back the students. We are yet to hear back from them," said a senior official. "We are in constant touch with the officials concerned and are personally monitoring the situation," he said. "The students are unable to sleep at night. The conflict zones are 15-20 minutes away from their campus. They can see missiles flying over their hostels. They are extremely anxious and reached out to the university and the Indian embassy," said Fayaz Ali, father of a student in Iran and resident of Austin Town in Bengaluru. According to the parents, there are around 400 Indian students in the university. Exams were underway for the students. "They were supposed to come back by August after the exams get over. However, the exams stopped midway," said Shabab Zehra, mother of Nadeem Hussain. Nadeem is a second-year student at the university. "We are worried that the conflict will escalate and the students will be affected. We want them to come back safely as soon as possible," she said. "The embassy created a WhatsApp group with parents and students, and we are constantly kept posted on the developments. Currently, the students are being taken to a safer city," Fayaz said. Relatives in the state say there are students in other universities too. Hassan Abbas Syed, a class 12 student at Alipur, Gowribidanur, said his sister is pursuing her fourth-year BDS at Tehran University of Medical Sciences where there are three more from Karnataka. "They are being transported to a safer location in North Iran. One of their hospitals is very close to the conflict zone, and a blast happened quite close to it. When I last spoke to my sister, she said they have been instructed not to disclose the location but are being shifted and are in safe hands. Her internet connection has been patchy, and we have not been able to communicate frequently," he said. Union minister HD Kumaraswamy said on X that he spoke to several Kannadigas stranded in Israel via video calls and enquired about their well-being and safety. "I assured them of taking urgent steps to ensure their safe and speedy return to their homeland and will hold talks with @MEAIndia." He said he informed the students that the Union govt has taken "all necessary measures for the safety of Indian citizens in conflict-affected foreign countries..."
