Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], June 19 : Saba Rasool, the Kashmiri MBBS student from Srinagar evacuated from Iran under India's Operation Sindhu, returned home on Thursday.
Speaking to ANI, Rasool recounted her journey and expressed gratitude to the Indian government for the evacuation.
"I went to Iran in 2021 for MBBS...A few days back, we received a call from the Embassy, asking us to pack our necessary belongings and that we would be relocated...We were in Urmia, and then we were taken to Armenia. Indian Embassy officials in Tehran accompanied us to the Armenian border. From the border, Indian Embassy officials in Armenia helped us with everything...We came out of there finally yesterday. The arrangements on the flight were very good. We were disappointed only at Delhi Airport. We had a few students from Maharashtra with us, and their representatives had come there. Hotels were booked for them and their tickets were booked for the evening...But for us, SRTC buses in poor condition were parked outside...So, in emergency, we had to book our own tickets at 4 times the price because we booked tickets at just two hours before (the flight)..It feels good to be back with our family...," she said.
Earlier in the day, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh welcomed the first group of 110 Indian nationals evacuated from Iran amid the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's office informed that he had taken note of the students evacuated from Iran's request regarding the quality of the buses arranged to transport them from Delhi to J-K.
"The Chief Minister has taken note of the request of the students evacuated from Iran regarding the quality of buses arranged to transport them from Delhi to J&K. The Resident Commissioner has been tasked with coordinating with the JKRTC to ensure proper deluxe buses are arranged," the chief minister's office said in a post on X.
Students who have been evacuated under Operation Sindhu from conflict-affected Iran raised issues about the buses that the J&K government is providing for them to travel to their home state.
The Indian government has launched Operation Sindhu to evacuate Indian nationals from Iran, given the deteriorating situation as a result of the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel.