SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) on Thursday said that around 600 Indian students, including 500 from Kashmir, have been shifted from Qom to Mashhad in Iran as part of the ongoing evacuation effort.
JKSA National Convenor Nasir Khuehami said this is the second group of students who had earlier been relocated to Qom, where they stayed for three days. Their evacuation process is currently in progress.
“Mashhad, a border city in Iran, is around 1,000 kilometres from Qom, a journey of approximately 15 hours by road. The students are from various institutions including Islamic Azad University, Iran University of Medical Sciences, and Shaheed Beheshti University. They are expected to be moved to Turkmenistan and flown to Delhi tomorrow,” Khuehami said.
The Association added that it is in constant contact with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy in Iran to facilitate the students’ safe return.
Commenting on the arrival of nine students in Srinagar from Iran, Khuehami expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister and the External Affairs Minister for ensuring their safe return.
Earlier, 94 Kashmiri students were evacuated from Iran and arrived in Delhi. However, many had to arrange onward travel to Kashmir on their own. Nine students reached Srinagar at their own expense. Students raised concerns over the lack of transport, prompting Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to direct officials to arrange deluxe buses through JKRTC.
