Mehbooba Mufti urges MEA to ensure safe return of stranded Indian students in Iran

SRINAGAR: PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday asked the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to take immediate steps to ensure the safe return of Indian students stranded in Iran amid the ongoing the Tehran-Tel Aviv war.

"Families of the stranded students in Iran are growing increasingly anxious with each passing day. I earnestly urge the Ministry of External Affairs to intervene and take immediate steps to ensure the safe return of their loved ones," Mufti said in a post on X. She tagged the X handles of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, the Indian embassy in Iran and the MEA in her post.

Hundreds of Kashmiri students, enrolled in various universities for professional courses in Iran, are currently stranded due to the escalated tensions with Israel. The families of the students have appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take steps for their safe evacuation just like the government did at the time of the Russia-Ukraine War.

"If Indian students were evacuated from Ukraine within days during the war, why are our children not being rescued from Iran? They are also Indian citizens," a worried parent said.

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Iran fired a new wave of missile attacks on Israel early Monday, triggering air raid sirens across the country as emergency services reported at least five killed and dozens more wounded in the fourth day of open warfare between the regional foes that showed no sign of slowing.

The latest salvo comes after a weekend of escalating tit-for-tat attacks between Israel and Iran that raised fears of a wider, more dangerous regional war.