Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], January 15 : All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi raised concerns over the safety and well-being of Indian students stranded in Iran amid the ongoing unrest while urging the Centre to urgently put in place an evacuation plan.
Referring to recent diplomatic outreach, he said it was reassuring that External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar had spoken with his Iranian counterpart, but stressed that immediate ground-level action was required.
Owaisi said he had received distress calls from parents of Indian students studying at Shahid Beheshti University, where over 70 to 80 students from India are currently enrolled, with five to eight hailing from Hyderabad.
"It's good that EAM Dr S Jaishankar spoke with his counterpart in Iran, but my urgent request to the GoI and EAM is that there are many students in hundreds who are studying in Iran, and especially in this Shahid Beheshti University," Owaisi told ANI.
"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.
He further alleged that the university authorities have withheld passports of Indian students, stating, "The university is not giving them the passports, or it does not allow them to leave Iran and come back to India."
Calling the situation emotionally distressing, Owaisi said parents were in "huge pain" due to the communication blackout and lack of clarity. He appealed to the Centre to prepare a comprehensive evacuation plan for hundreds of Indian students currently stuck in Iran, adding that timely intervention was crucial to prevent panic and hardship.
"They are becoming very emotional, and what has increased their uncertainty is that they are not able to speak to their children because the internet is down over there. I hope and request that the Government of India would prepare an evacuation plan to bring back these hundreds of students who are stuck in Iran right now," the AIMIM chief added.
Speaking on the ongoing local body elections in Maharashtra, Owaisi appealed to voters to actively participate in the civic polls being held across 29 municipal corporations, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
"The public should come forward and exercise their right to vote in the municipal elections being held in Maharashtra. This gives you a good opportunity to express your likes and dislikes," he said, adding that his party had run a "very successful campaign" and was hopeful of positive results.
Reacting to speculation around the alliance between the Thackeray brothers in Mumbai, Owaisi said its impact would largely be confined to the city.
"What will happen in Mumbai is limited to Mumbai only. People will go out and vote today, and by tomorrow they will know what the impact was," he remarked.