More students arriving
Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, June 21: With the ongoing evacuation from war-affected Iran, over 250 Indian students, including 160 Kashmiri students, arrived in Delhi today, with more scheduled to arrive by midnight.
According to details, the Mahan Air flight IRM071A carrying 256 Indian nationals from Mashad, Iran, landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport at 4:30 pm.
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The flight was originally scheduled to arrive at 10:00 am on Saturday but was delayed due to an overnight Israeli attack in Mashad. It has been informed that two flights will bring back around 350 Kashmiri students.
“The first flight was scheduled to arrive at 4:30 pm, bringing back 160 Kashmiri students. Another flight is scheduled to reach Delhi at 11:30 pm. Overall, both flights will evacuate around 350 Kashmiri students from Iran,” Nasir Khuehami, the National Convenor of the J&K Students Association (JKSA) told Excelsior.
He added that this is a relief for families who had been anxiously waiting for their children’s safe return.
“Many of these students were frightened and emotionally drained after enduring days of uncertainty and fear in the conflict zone.”
Nasir further said that there is another flight arriving tonight from Mashad, which, he said, will carry nearly 290 Indian students, of whom 250 are Kashmiris.
With the flight landing at 11:30 pm, he stated that the evacuation of nearly 40 percent of Kashmiri students stranded in Iran will be completed.
“While we await the exact number of students who have arrived so far, the evacuation of the remaining students is ongoing and is expected to take the next three days to bring all of them home,” he said.
“It is a stepwise process that involves moving students to safer places and then taking them either to Mashad or Armenia, from where they fly back home.”
It is important to note that the Mahan Air flights are special evacuation flights bringing Indian students back to New Delhi from Mashad.
Despite the closure of airspace, a special exception has been granted for the evacuation of Indian students, with around 500 Kashmiri students among those returning.
Regarding travel arrangements from Delhi to Srinagar, JKSA said transportation has been arranged and Deluxe AC buses will be ready at Delhi Airport.
“The matter was taken up with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s Advisor, Nasir Sogami, who confirmed that all concerned officers have been informed. Students will be directly facilitated from Delhi Airport to TRC Srinagar.”
Officials from the Ministry of External Affairs expressed appreciation for Iran’s cooperation in opening its airspace and acknowledged the support of Armenia and Turkmenistan for enabling safe passage.
They emphasized that the safety and welfare of Indian nationals abroad remain the Government’s top priority and noted that efforts are underway to bring back more Indians still stranded in Iran.
Meanwhile, a group of Kashmiri students evacuated from Iran and now headed home are stranded on the Pathankot highway after their bus repeatedly broke down, causing delays and discomfort during the journey to Srinagar.
The JKSA said the bus carrying 14 girls has broken down five times and has been stuck for over two hours.
“These students have already travelled more than 2,000 km by road in Iran, followed by a flight to Delhi. They deserve a safe and comfortable journey home.”
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