Owaisi, Omar call for urgent evacuation plan of Indian students amid Iran protests

Hyderabad, Jan 15: AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi and Jammu and Kashmir chief minister omar Abdullah have called on Centre to urgently help Indian students who are stuck in Iran amid the ongoing unrest in the country. Owaisi said the safety of these students should be treated as a top priority.

Owaisi said it was a good step that External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar spoke to Iran’s foreign minister. However, he added that talking is not enough and quick action is needed on the ground to bring students back safely.

He shared that many worried parents have reached out to him. According to Owaisi, around 70 to 80 Indian students study at Shahid Beheshti University in Iran, including five to eight students from Hyderabad. He said there are hundreds of Indian students across Iran who are now feeling scared and helpless.

“The problem is that the internet is down in Iran. Secondly, parents cannot even purchase tickets and send them to their children. Thirdly, many students are from a poor background, and they don’t have the financial wherewithal to purchase a ticket,” he said, as quoted by the agency.

He further claimed that the university is not returning the students’ passports, which is stopping them from leaving Iran and coming back to India. This, he said, has made the situation even more stressful.

Owaisi said parents are extremely upset and anxious because they do not know what is happening to their children. He urged the Indian government to quickly prepare a clear evacuation plan to safely bring all stranded students home.

Omar dials EAM Jaishankar

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also spoke on the matter and said he has spoken to EAM Dr S Jaishankar about the rapidly changing situation in Iran, where concerns have been raised over the safety of Indian nationals. In a social media post on X, Abdullah said the minister briefed him on the current ground situation and explained the steps being planned by the ministry to respond to the developments.