After living under a constant fear amid raging war and bombing in Iran, the first group of stranded students from Kashmir have safely reached home this morning.
Around 70 students have reached Kashmir from Armenia, but hundreds are still stuck on the Iran-Azerbaijan border. Azerbaijan has closed the border without citing any reason or timeline for when it will be opened for stranded Indian students for their onwards journey to India.
All these students were months away from completing their MBBS degree, but the last year of their MBBS course has turned into a nightmare.
Shahid Rashid from Pattan in Baramulla was among the dozens of students who reached home this morning. He said all these days were an ordeal for him and his friends.
"I'm so happy to be back after going through tough times. My MBBS course was completing in the next 8 months, but I had to leave with my friends as the situation worsened," said Shahid.
As the war broke out on February 28 with massive bombing on Tehran, borders were closed, flights were suspended and communications were severely hit.
The Indian embassy in Tehran and the Jammu and Kashmir government coordinated the evacuation of students from badly affected areas, including Tehran.
But as the students reached near the Armenia and Azerbaijan borders, crossing the border for the onwards journey proved to be a difficult one.
While the Armenia border was opened and several students managed to fly to Delhi, hundreds of students are still stranded.
The families say they have already booked tickets for their children from Azerbaijan for today and tomorrow, but Azerbaijani authorities have closed the border and are not letting anybody inside the country.
The families of the stranded students are helpless because they are not getting any information on when Azerbaijan will open its border for crossing so that their children can get back home safely. They appeal to the central government and the External Affairs Ministry to intervene and ensure the safe evacuation of students.
"We are having sleepless nights. Our children are living in a helpless situation amid war in Iran and the closure of the border by Azerbaijan. We appeal to the government to intervene and take up the issue with the Azerbaijani government," said Suhail Ahmad, parent of a stranded student.
He said his son was about to complete his final year of the MBBS course, and the university didn't allow them to leave the campus till the time war broke out in Iran.
Foreign Ministry On Indians Returning Home From Iran
Addressing a briefing on Tuesday, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that around 650 Indians, including students, had crossed over from Iran to Armenia and Azerbaijan and were returning home from there.
He said 50 additional Indians have now crossed over to Armenia and Azerbaijan.
"Yesterday, I also gave you an update on 284 Indian pilgrims who had gone to Iran. They successfully crossed over to Armenia. Of those 284 pilgrims, 130 will be arriving in Delhi today. The MEA control room remains fully functional", he added.
On Monday, the Indian Embassy in Iran cautioned Indian citizens against attempting to cross the borders without the knowledge of the Embassy.
In its statement, the Embassy said, "In continuation/ reiteration of our advisory of March 9, all Indian nationals currently in Iran are strictly advised not to approach or attempt to cross any land border of Iran for onward travel without prior and explicit coordination with the Embassy of India, Tehran."
"The Embassy is in regular contact with members of the Indian community, and coordinated arrangements are being undertaken wherever necessary. Uncoordinated movement toward land borders is strongly discouraged," it said.
