Caught in the Crossfire: Anxiety Mounts for Kashmiri Students in Iran
Srinagar: Amid the deteriorating security situation in West Asia, New Delhi “advised’’ Indian nationals to not travel till further notice to Iran and Israel- the two countries teetering on the brink of a major military escalation– putting on hold the departure of thousands of Indian pilgrims to Iran and construction workers to Israel.
This advisory has put hundreds of Kashmiri students enrolled in various Iranian universities in a quandary. Speaking to us, students expressed their concerns with some preparing to leave the country amidst growing safety concerns. “There is news of retaliation by Iran and war everywhere, my roommate is winding her belongings and planning to leave the country for Lebanon which is causing fear among other students as well,” a student studying in Imam Khomeini University in Qazvin said.
She further said that she is not sure whether she should leave or stay in Iran and is worried about the outbreak of a full-fledged war between arch rivals in the Middle East. “My family back home is worried and I don’t know what I should do. My mother keeps weeping all the time and is worried for my safety,” she said.
In view of the escalating tensions between Iran and Israel, the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday issued a travel advisory to Indian citizens. “In view of the prevailing situation in the region, all Indians are advised not to travel to Iran or Israel till further notice. All those who are currently residing in Iran or Israel are requested to get in touch with Indian Embassies there and register themselves,” the advisory said.
Similar concerns were shared by another student from North Kashmir who travelled to Iran on Friday.
Speaking on anonymity, she said that in view of the advisory issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, they were required to sign a document stating they were traveling at their own risk. “At first, we were stopped from boarding a flight to Tehran, later we were allowed only after signing a bond that we were travelling on our own risk. We don’t know what will happen,” the student who studies in Isfahan told.
A worried parent, Shakil Ahmad whose daughter studies in Iran referred to Kashmiri students who had to abandon their universities in Ukraine after war broke out there two years back saying he fears what will happen if war prolongs and results in closure of airports. However he hastened to add that his daughter told him in her recent phone call that “Iran is not Ukraine and there is absolutely no panic among the people there”. “I also believe”, he added, that “Iran can, as it has in the past, handled crisis situations with maturity and sagacity”, he said.
Meanwhile, sources said that the Indian embassy in Tehran is in the process of establishing contacts with the Indian students and is collecting data of the students across Iran.
In a turn of events which could further aggravate the crisis, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized an Israeli-linked cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, the Iranian state-run IRNA news agency reported, days after Tehran warned it could close the area to sea traffic.
