SRINAGAR: Gripped by fear and desperation, families of Kashmiri students studying in Iran have appealed to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for safe and immediate evacuation of their children from Iran amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia. With Israel and the US conducting massive bombing in Iranian cities, the anxious parents said they have lost contact with their wards studying in Iran. A woman from Srinagar said her son is studying at Iran University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, which has been declared a “red alert zone” due to continued US and Israeli airstrikes. “The students were shifted to Qom and we thought being a border area it would be safe. However, now that area too is witnessing bombing from Israel and US,” she said.
She further said the family had been receiving voice notes from their son describing the terrifying sounds of explosions.
“He kept saying no place is safe in Iran now. For the last two days, we have had no communication. We are unable to call them and the internet is also not working there. We are completely in the dark,” she said. “My son’s final examination was scheduled for March 5 and the family had booked tickets for his return on March 6”.
About 1,100 students from Jammu and Kashmir, mostly from the Valley, are presently stranded in Iran. They are studying in different educational and professional colleges in Iran. About 1,000 J&K students had returned home in December-January after tension in West Asia. Another distressed mother said her daughter, a fourth-year medical student in Iran, was supposed to return home on March 13 after completing her exams and clinical classes.
“We were receiving her WhatsApp messages, but now it too has stopped as well,” she said.
She expressed gratitude to the Embassy of India in Tehran for relocating students from Tehran to Qom and stressed that there is an urgent need for evacuation.
“We are very disturbed and unable to sleep. We appeal to the government to bring them back safely,” she said. Suhail Muzamil Qadri, another parent, said while families appreciate the efforts of the Indian Embassy, fear continues to overshadow them.
“We know the Embassy is doing a great job, but we are parents. We are worried about the safety of our wards,” he said. “We are spending sleepless nights and are very worried about the well being of our wards as it is raining bombs and missiles in every part of Iran”.
Qadri urged the MEA to explore evacuation routes through Turkmenistan, Armenia, or any other safe corridor. “Our humble request is that they should be immediately evacuated,” he said, adding he has had no recent contact with his son in Tehran from the last few days. Another Kashmiri man, whose daughter is pursuing her final-year MBBS in Urmia, said the city witnessed intense bombing overnight. “Explosions occurred near the dormitory where J&K students are residing last night. It has created fear among them,” he said.