Kashmiri students in Iran shaken after explosion close by, urge MEA for swift rescue

NEW DELHI, March 3: An explosion just 300 metres from their dormitory has left Indian students in Iran’s Urmia city fearful, a Kashmiri medical student told PTI on Tuesday as hostilities continue in the region.
Labeeb Qadri from Srinagar, a final-year MBBS student at Urmia University of Medical Sciences, said attacks have been taking place continuously.
“The situation has not been good at all for the last few days. Here in Urmia, attacks are taking place continuously. About one hour ago, an explosion happened just 300 metres from our dormitory,” he said over the phone.
Qadri said another strike occurred outside their dormitory earlier in the day. He said around 110 Indian students – nearly 50 boys and a similar number of girls – are currently staying in the dormitories in the centre of the city.
“Everyone asks why we didn’t leave Iran when the advisory was issued, but most of the students had tickets for February 28 and March 6. In Iran, only one or two flights operate to India per week, so we couldn’t leave earlier,” he said.
Qadri added that many students hoped the situation would improve as diplomatic talks were underway.
“Because talks were ongoing, we assumed everything would improve. But now we are stuck here, and we don’t know what to do,” he said.
Another student, Musa Rauf, said the attack near the dorm left students shaken.
“We urge the embassy to rescue us as soon as possible, by any means necessary. Situation has escalated quite rapidly …So, it was not really up to us to leave early,” he said.
Rauf said the scarcity of flights prevented them from leaving while there was time.
“We are requesting the Indian embassy to evacuate us from Armenia, if it is possible, as it is a safer option for us to reach there,” he said.
The conflict began last Saturday with coordinated US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran, in which Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed. Since then, attacks and counter-attacks have intensified across the region.
Qadri said the students are now dependent on the Indian Embassy for guidance. “Right now, they have told us there is no possible way to get out, so it’s better to stay indoors. Whatever the embassy tells us, we are going to follow that,” he said.Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said Indian missions in the region are in continuous contact with Indian citizens, and helplines have been activated.
The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) has urged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and the MEA to facilitate the relocation of Indian students to a safer place in Iran until a full evacuation becomes possible. (PTI)