Hamirpur (Himachal Pradesh) [India], June 21 : Union Minister and BJP MP from Hamirpur, Anurag Thakur, reaffirmed India's unwavering commitment to safeguarding its citizens overseas, as he spoke about the ongoing Operation Sindhu, launched to rescue Indian students stranded in Iran.
Addressing the media on Saturday, Thakur said, "If any Indian is in danger, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is always there for a rescue, be it Ukraine, Syria, or sending relief for an earthquake to Nepal or Turkey and helping the world in times of need... Operation Sindhu is successfully continuing in bringing back Indian students stuck in Iran."
Meanwhile, Indian nationals, evacuated from war-torn Iran, expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Government as they arrived at Delhi Airport on a special flight from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, in the early hours of Saturday. They raised the slogan 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' to express their happiness at their safe return to India.
"Thanks to our government, they helped us a lot and brought us to India. We are happy with this government," a woman evacuee told ANI.
"I am happy. Many thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. All facilities, including the hotel and food, were provided, we did not face any problem, and we returned to our country safely," Fatima Begum, another evacuee, told ANI.
Fazil Naqvi, another Indian national who was evacuated from Iran, thanked the Indian Embassy staff. "We thank the Indian government for evacuating us safely. The staff of the Indian Embassy helped a lot. We are happy with the Modi government, and we all want the Modi government to keep working like this," he told ANI.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that so far, 517 Indian nationals have returned to India from Iran under Operation Sindhu. Jaiswal stated that a special flight from Turkmenistan's Ashgabat arrived in New Delhi on June 21.
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. In a post on X, Jaiswal stated, "Operation Sindhu continues. A special evacuation flight from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, landed in New Delhi at 0300 hrs on 21st June, bringing Indians from Iran home. With this, so far 517 Indian nationals from Iran have returned home under Operation Sindhu."
The Indian Embassy in Tehran coordinated the safe movement of students, while the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) ensured their safe return. An Indian national who was evacuated from Iran, Zaffar Abbas Naqvi, recounted how he and his family stayed indoors initially after hearing about the attack on Iran.
They later moved to Mashhad, which also came under attack, prompting them to contact the Indian government.