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SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah spoke on Thursday with external affairs minister S. Jaishankar on the situation in Iran and cited assurances that all steps will be taken for the safety of hundreds of students and others from J&K stranded in the protest-wracked country.J&K Students Association (JKSA) put the number of students in Iran at over 2000, 95% of them in medical courses. “He (Jaishankar) shared his assessment of the ground situation & the plans that the ministry is working on. I’m grateful for his assurance that all steps will be taken to safeguard the interests & lives of students & other people from J&K who are in Iran now,” Omar wrote on X.PDP president and former CM Mehbooba Mufti sought central intervention. “Thousands of students from across the country, including Kashmir, are stranded in Iran amid the present volatile situation. This has triggered deep fear and anxiety in anguished parents desperately worried about their children’s safety. Urge S Jaishankar and MEA (external affairs ministry) to intervene urgently and ensure their safe return,” Mehbooba posted on X.A similar appeal for Centre-organised evacuations from Iran went out from JKSA, which has been coordinating with various central agencies for the welfare of Kashmiri students studying within and outside the country. The association reiterated distress among parents fearing for the safety and well-being of their children due to the ongoing disturbances in Iran.JKSA convenor Nasir Khuehami pointed out that many parents have been unable to contact their children for the past four days, intensifying safety fears amid restrictions on communication networks and social media due to the protests and clampdown by the authorities.According to Khuehami, most Kashmiri students in Iran pursue MBBS owing to its affordable education system and long-standing academic and people-to-people ties with India.
