Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah provided an update on the withdrawal of Indian students, mostly from JK, stuck in Iran due to the ongoing Israeli-Iran struggle, emphasized the use of land routes to Armenia for their safe return.
He said that more than 300 to 400 students are expected to reach safe areas till date, from where they will be returned to India via Armenia.
He said, “We cannot do them overnight because no airports are open, no ports are operational.
Amidst increasing tension between Iran and Israel, Abdullah called for de-escation through dialogue.
“India-Pakistan issue is a different case, and the Israel-Iran issue is different. In any case, the bombing should never have started. Earlier, when the head of American intelligence was asked if Iran had nuclear weapons, he said that he did not think that he had attacked the Israel within a few months.”
Abdullah also expressed concern over the dynamics of Indo-American relations, suggesting that the United States prioritizes its own interests on bilateral relations with India.
He said, “We cannot direct the US President, whom he should invite for dinner. We thought that the US President was our close friend, and he would respect it, but what does America do …”
External Affairs Minister Foreign Minister Kirti Vidhan Singh welcomed the first group of 110 Indian citizens who were vacated from Iran amidst the ongoing Israeli-Iran struggle on Thursday.
The office of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that he had noticed the students aware of Iran’s request that arrangements were made to take them from Delhi to JK about the quality of buses.
The Chief Minister’s office said in a post on X, “The Chief Minister has paid attention to the request of the students from Iran, which is arranged to take them from Delhi to JK. The Resident Commissioner has been tasked to coordinate with JKRTC to ensure that proper deluxes buses are arranged.”
Students who have been extracted from Iran under Operation Indus from Iran, raise issues about buses that the JK government is providing them to travel to their home state.
The Government of India has introduced Operation Sindhu to vacate Indian citizens from Iran, given the deteriorating situation as a result of the ongoing struggle between Iran and Israel. (AI)