West Asia war: first batch of stranded Indians returns from Iran via Armenia; 70 arri
West Asia war: first batch of stranded Indians returns from Iran via Armenia; 70 arrive in Delhi
M.U.H
15/03/202621
The first batch of Indian nationals stranded in Iran over the last fortnight of the war arrived in New Delhi on Sunday morning on a special commercial flight via Armenia. The flight, which took off from Yerevan airport on Saturday afternoon, carried 70 students — mostly from Jammu & Kashmir — and some pilgrims, and landed in New Delhi after a brief halt in Dubai.
Upon their arrival, many of the students and pilgrims boarded special buses arranged by the Jammu and Kashmir Government to return home, while some took flights back to Srinagar.
Meanwhile, a flight with around 60 Indians — including students and pilgrims — is scheduled to land in New Delhi late on Sunday night. Sources say more such flights carrying Indians are likely to land over the next few days.
Around 9,000 Indian citizens, mostly students, have been stuck in Iran. Most of them come from Jammu and Kashmir, while some are from Uttar Pradesh and other states. They are primarily located in two Iranian cities — Tehran, which has come under heavy attack over the last few days, and Qom, about 150 km from the capital.
“This evacuation marks a significant relief for the students and their anxious families back home, who had been closely monitoring developments and appealing for their safe return,” said Nasir Khuehami, national convener of the Jammu & Kashmir Students Association, while also thanking the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Indian embassy in Tehran for “prompt intervention, coordination and support in ensuring the safety and evacuation of the stranded students”.
Last week, The Indian Express reported that as Tehran faced incessant attacks from the United States and Israel, the Indian Government was working on a plan to bring back its citizens from the warzone in Iran.
Iranian airspace is currently closed following large-scale US and Israeli airstrikes beginning February 28. Those wanting to return can be transported to neighbouring Armenia and Turkmenistan through land route, from where they can be flown to India, sources had said.
The students in this batch returned to India on commercial flights as part of an initial evacuation arrangement facilitated through diplomatic coordination and the support of Indian missions.
However, some of these students faced issues in obtaining transit visas upon reaching the Armenian border from Iran, but the process was ironed out after help from the Indian embassies in Tehran and Yerevan.
Rescue via Azerbaijan
Meanwhile, sources say New Delhi is also in talks with Baku to facilitate the return of stranded Indian nationals by crossing over to Azerbaijan through a land route from Iran and taking commercial flights from Baku to New Delhi.
Khuehami said he met Misri in New Delhi last week and apprised him of the grave concerns regarding Indian students stranded in Iran amid ongoing airstrikes and escalating hostilities. He told The Indian Express that the MEA assured him that the relocation of students from vulnerable areas was being undertaken in a phased manner based on the evolving security situation.
“It was a long and difficult land and air transit arranged for us in coordination with the authorities concerned,” said a student, who didn’t wish to be identified. He said they travelled from different cities in Iran by buses arranged by the Indian Government and crossed into Armenia, from where they boarded a Flydubai flight to Dubai. From Dubai, another connecting flight brought them back to India. “While the cost of the return flight was borne by us, everything else was arranged and managed by the Indian Government,” he said.
A majority of the returning students had been studying at various universities across Iran, including Urmia University of Medical Sciences and Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Many of them had earlier been relocated to safer locations by the Indian embassy in Tehran amid the deteriorating security situation.
Khuehami said the Government urgently needs to launch a full-fledged evacuation operation, similar to the large-scale evacuation carried out during the Ukraine crisis and the one undertaken during last year’s 12-day war-like situation in Iran, to ensure the safe and timely return of all Indian students still stranded in different parts of the country.
Around 9,000 Indian nationals are currently in Iran. This group includes students, seafarers, business people, professionals, and pilgrims. India is helping its citizens in Iran leave the country through land routes to Azerbaijan and Armenia and then take commercial flights home. The Government is providing visa support and facilitating border crossings for Indians who want to travel through these neighbouring countries.
