JKSA writes to PM Modi over safety of Kashmiri students in Iran
Srinagar, Jan 2: Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking urgent and immediate intervention to ensure the safety, security, dignity, and welfare of Indian students, particularly students from the Kashmir Valley, currently studying in Iran.
JKSA’s concern comes in the wake of a rapidly deteriorating security situation marked by widespread unrest, mass protests, violent crackdowns, and reported killings across several regions of Iran, said a press release.
In the letter addressed to the Prime Minister, JKSA expressed concern over the plight of hundreds and thousands of Indian students, a majority of them from J&K, who are pursuing MBBS and other professional medical courses in Iran due to its economically viable education system and long-standing academic ties with India.
National Convenor of JKSA, Nasir Khuehami, stated that nearly 2,000 Kashmiri students are presently enrolled in medical universities across different provinces of Iran. He said these students are heavily dependent on local hostels, universities, public transport, and essential services, making them extremely vulnerable during periods of internal conflict, political upheaval, and civil unrest.
Khuehami said that the prevailing situation has created an atmosphere of fear, uncertainty, and helplessness, with students feeling unsafe, exposed, and stranded. “JKSA has been receiving continuous distress calls and messages from students and their families, who have expressed serious concerns over restricted mobility, sporadic internet shutdowns, lack of timely and clear safety advisories and the absence of visible contingency measures on the ground,” he said. The Association noted that the lack of real-time information and communication has further intensified anxiety among parents and families in India, who remain thousands of kilometres away and unable to assess the ground situation, leading to immense psychological distress.
