Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], March 14 : The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association on Saturday said that more than 70 Indian students, majority of them from Jammu and Kashmir, who were stranded in Iran amid the ongoing war situation in the region, are returning safely to India on a commercial flight and are scheduled to arrive at Indira Gandhi International Airport on Sunday morning via a connecting journey through Armenia and Dubai, following a coordinated evacuation effort.
In a release, national convenor of the Association, Nasir Khuehami, said that the students are travelling on Flydubai Flight FZ8124, which departed from Zvartnots International Airport, carrying over 70 Indian students along with other pilgrims. The majority of the passengers on board are students from Kashmir who had been studying at different universities in Iran.
He said that the journey is being carried out through a connecting route. The first leg of the flight departed from Yerevan to Dubai International Airport at 13:25 (Armenia time) on March 14 and is expected to arrive in Dubai at 17:00 (Dubai time).
From Dubai, the passengers will board another Flydubai connecting flight, Flydubai Flight FZ441, which is scheduled to depart at 05:05 (Dubai time) and is expected to land at Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, at approximately 9:55 AM (IST).
The Association said that these students had been stranded in Iran due to the ongoing war-like situation and deteriorating security conditions in the region, and are now returning safely to India. It further said that most of the students travelling in this batch are studying at Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, and other universities across Iran.
Before boarding the flight, the students travelled by buses from different cities in Iran and undertook a long land journey to Armenia, reaching Zvartnots International Airport in Yerevan to board the evacuation flight.
Earlier, the students were relocated to safer locations by the Indian Embassy in Tehran. Meanwhile, another group of stranded students studying in Kerman has also been moved to the relatively safer city of Qom as a precautionary measure.
The Association said it is working closely with the Ministry of External Affairs, the Embassy of Iran in New Delhi, and Indian missions in Tehran and Yerevan to secure land-transit permits and airline seats for the stranded students. It said the evacuation route through Armenia was arranged following requests and concerns raised by the students.
Khuehami said that the matter was flagged with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri last week, after which the required permissions for land transit and travel were granted. The Association also said that the Ministry of External Affairs has advised Indian students currently in Iran to avoid sharing their exact locations or personal details on social media platforms as a precautionary measure to ensure their safety and prevent exposure to potential risks amid the volatile situation.
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