Over 400 J&K stranded students demand evacuation
IRSHAD FAYAZ/RAQEEB BHATT
SRINAGAR, Feb 26: The deadliest coronavirus outbreak has seen a significant rise in Iran also. With already 15 people dead and 95 tested positive turning Iran into a focal point of this virus in Middle East, over 400 students from Jammu and Kashmir who are pursuing various courses especially medicine in different provinces of Iran have demanded immediate evacuation.
It is after China, Iran has become new focal point for the government of India to seek evacuation of its students who have sent alarm messages to the ministry of external affairs through Indian embassy in Tehran.
Over 240 students of Jammu and Kashmir are stranded in various cities of Iran and they apprehend contamination from the coronavirus infected people if they are not evacuated safely at an earliest. These students have demanded charted planes to ferry them to India.
Kashmir Despatch exclusively is in possession of details and travel documents of 236 such students who are presently stranded in Iran.
Pertinently, Iran’s Deputy health minister, Iraj Harirchi, is one among the 95 tested positive for the virus. The minister mentioned that the ‘disease doesn’t distinguish between a statesman and an ordinary one.’
The rising death toll in Iran has created panic among the families of students and businessmen stranded in various cities of Iran. Former finance minister appealing Prime Minister and the external affairs minister in particular in a statement issued earlier today demanding arrangement of a chartered flight and special quarantine for the J&K diaspora in Iran.
Meanwhile, former finance minister Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Wednesday appealed Government of India to evacuate the residents of Jammu and Kashmir particularly the student and businessmen stranded in various cities of Iran.
In his statement Bukhari has said the rising number of deaths and number of infected people in Iran has sent shivers down the spine among the residents of Jammu and Kashmir who are stranded in Iran and their families here.
“As we know that Iran has confirmed three more deaths and 34 new infections on Tuesday, taking the country’s overall death toll to 15 and infection tally to 95. I am in touch with the ministry of external affairs government of India and have submitted details of over 240 J&K students who are stuck in Shiraz, Tehran and other cities of Iran,” Bukhari said, while appealing the government of India to act on the details and take measures for safe evacuation of these students at an earliest.
The former minister observed that it seems that the ground situation in Iran has worsened. “Iran has been hit by the deadliest coronavirus outbreak by far outside China. I have information from the stranded students who study in Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Shiraz University of Medical Science (SUMS), Iran that over 300 students from J&K are studying in various provinces of the country. All of them are currently safe but they apprehend contamination if they are not evacuated from Iran very soon,” Bukhari briefed the ministry of external affairs government of India.
The former finance minister appealed the government of India especially the Prime Minister Modi and the external affairs minister to arrange a chartered flight for these students and a separate quarantine facility for them.
He expressed serious concern about coronavirus which is said to be spreading to new parts of Iran, as one new case was also reported in each of the provinces of Fars and Khorasan, Razavi, as well as Qeshm Island on Tuesday.
“It is a matter of serious concern for all of us especially the families of our stranded students who said that despite being Iran’s epicentre of the outbreak, Qom city, which is one of largest metropolis in Iran is yet to be quarantined,” Bukhari remarked, while urging the government of India to consider operating a special flight to Shiraz or to a nearby functional airport and airlift the J&K residents particularly the students stranded there to bring them back to India.
Bukhari also appealed the Prime Minister Modi to give necessary directions to Indian Embassy in Iran to act proactively and provide necessary assistance to J&K students stranded in Shiraz city, some of them, having already mailed their particulars to the Indian Embassy officials few days back.
Former finance minister also appealed the Indian Embassy in Iran to contact other stranded students and residents of Jammu and Kashmir who are marooned there in connection with their business and other official engagements. “These stranded J&K residents should be asked to immediately furnish their details and travel plans in order to check the possibilities to initiate their early and safe evacuation,” he advocated.
