SRINAGAR: With a backpack full of books and dreams, a 21-year-old student from Bandipore sat stranded in a traffic jam on the Srinagar-Jammu highway on Friday, desperate to reach New Delhi for her entrance examination. For hours, she and her mother waited in their vehicle, caught between blocked roads and cancelled flights.
“We were supposed to fly, but no flights are available. We tried the road, but landslides kept blocking the way. I don’t know what to do — I will miss my examinations,” she said, her voice breaking.
She is among dozens of Kashmiri students facing the risk of missing their entrance exams at Jamia Millia Islamia this week. The tests are critical for admission into postgraduate courses at the central university. But tensions between India and Pakistan, coupled with bad weather, have brought travel to a standstill.
The closure of the Srinagar airport following cross-border hostilities, and the shutdown of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway after heavy rains triggered landslides, have left students with no way out.
“I’ve spent the last year preparing for this exam,” said a 23-year-old aspirant from Baramulla. “I have my admit card, everything is ready… but how do I reach the centre?”
Many students are reportedly stuck near Banihal or unable to travel at all. Some had booked flights that are now cancelled with no alternatives available. “There’s no bus, no flight, nothing. We’ve written to Jamia but there’s been no response yet,” said one student.
As the situation unfolds, students and their families continue to wait — on highways, in internet queues, and with growing uncertainty about their academic future.
